The Way Home
by EpicBone
Summary: The Castle of Lions is no longer his home & the Blades hold little love for a disobedient pup. Searching desperately for a way to fill the void in his heart & soul, Keith takes on any mission. However, when one mission goes wrong it's up to the lot of them to bring him back to safety. But getting him back is no easy task nor is the damage so easily repaired. (Rating may change)
1. Easy Come, Easy Go

The room felt empty. There was no other way to say it nor any other way to express the room in its entirety. Stark grey walls offered no warmth or sense of comfort to those within. Then again, comfort was not a top priority of the Blades. Though the room was hardly empty with the amount of Blades merely sitting around chattering with one another it held anything but the feel of camaraderie. Everyone in the room never expected to live the next day. In fact, they had all come to terms with their mortality. While they did exchange laughs and chatter it was never heartfelt. It had always felt formal as if it was expected of them to try and have a normal life while between missions.

That wasn't to say that the Blades didn't have feelings because they did. Just like everyone else they laughed, cried, grew angry and bleed. However, those feelings over time seemed to have hardened and were tightly locked inside as if they might disappear at a sudden blink. Though in truth it was meant to keep them from hardships and shattered hearts when another of their ranks fell to the Galra Empire. To be hard inside was their best coping mechanism. Not show emotion nor let it hold them down. After all, there motto was Knowledge or Death.

To Keith, this was a reality he wasn't fully prepared for no matter how many times he repeated their motto. No matter how many times he told himself he could handle it. If he tried hard enough, if he put his whole being into it, then he to could be like them. He could handle any load given to him. He would matter here with the Blades. He had a place here.

He told himself that every single day since he pulled away from the Paladins who he deemed to once be his family. Perhaps they still were that but things changed and the Paladins had moved on without him. His plan had worked far too well in straying from them in order for Shiro to reform his bond with the Black Lion. He had caused the others to resent him and while this result had been fixed he felt as if their bond was left irreparable. The anxiety had been building up for days and there was nothing he could do about it. He no longer could rely on Lance to pull the concerns out of him, Pidge wasn't hear to call him out on his shit. Hunk wasn't around to make him laugh and forget his problems just like Allura wasn't here to give him that knowing look. Most of all, Shiro wasn't here to offer him that shoulder to lean on. He was alone with in the Blades just like he should be after everything he pulled.

He didn't belong in the Castle of Lions and he was slowly starting to realize that he didn't belong here with the Blades either. While he was half Galra and a Blade, he didn't share their closed heart motto or their unsettling thought process of leaving their companions behind. But as Kolivan had said this wasn't Voltron. To live or die was up to each player in their Guerrilla War with the Empire. Everyone here knew the cost.

"Keith." The sudden sound of a voice forced the former red to lift his head. He hadn't realized his forehead had been resting over intertwined fingers. Blinking a few times he met the golden gaze of Kolivan who stared down at him from above. "What are you doing here? You should be getting ready for your mission." The massive Galra crossed his arms over his chest while looking curious but also not so impressed with Keith's mannerism. The boy looked like a lost pup searching for a sense of direction that he would have to find on his own. Kolivan wasn't here to spoon feed him or offer support. Everyone here had skeletons to deal with daily. Making Keith's dubbed behavior as normal.

"I was just looking for a place to think." Keith lowered his hands to his lap with his head bowed. The two remained that way for a long moment before the half-glara stood suddenly with a grunt and turned to leave Kolivan where he stood without so much as a single glance.

"Thinking is one thing but preparing is another. You are leading a ground unit for this mission. It would be best if you focused on that and nothing else." Short and to the heart of problem. Kolivan didn't need Keith distracted before going into battle. That was how people got killed and worse, how to get others killed. It didn't seem the young Blade was even listening to him as he just started walking away with blade in hand. "Keith." A stern voice would cause the teen to stop just for a moment to look over his shoulder, hood being drawn up.

"I know. I'll do what needs to be done and get my team out in time." His reply was calm in demeanor with determination intertwined within it. He would do what would be needed in this mission. He knew how important it was to cut off Galra supply lines.

A small sigh came from his new leader, "Good. I expect you to be ready in ten and at the bay. Do what you need to prepare yourself." As usual, the pair stared at one another for no more than a moment before splitting off towards their respective destination. Again, a small sigh escaped Kolivan as he stopped to peer over his shoulder, watching the young pup walk away at a slow pace. Shaking his head he started towards the bridge."You could be more gentle with that one."

Kolivan didn't bother to spare a look at one of his Blades who followed after him. "Gentle is not the way of the Blades of Marmora. This is not a babysitting company."

"No, but he is still a cub, Kolivan. One that thinks the universe is against him." His fellow Blade's pace slowed while Kolivan's remained steady.

"And in this case, Jak, it is. Head on down to the Bay and await your orders." Jak would merely bow his head slightly in reply and take his leave. Entering the bridge, Kolivan ran a hand through his mane. He hated to admit it but Jak was right. He could be a tad more gentle with the cub but not until this mission came to an end.

Folding his arms behind his back he addressed his crew with a cordial nod. No one needed to express themselves with words here. The Blades ship came to a sudden stop a great distance away from their point of interest. A small space station that was currently inhabiting on a floating planet. It didn't look like there was many Galra ships, good. This would be simple clean sweep. With a single two finger flick a small shuttle dispatched from their ship and disappeared under cloaking. Keith would be on his own in this mission. Kolivian sighed softly, "We will wait here until the ship returns. Monitor them and keep us ready to jump as soon as they finish."

* * *

Every single motion of the tiny shuttle made Keith nervous. He wasn't a fan of leading his small party of ten blades. Hell, he didn't even like leading Voltron and that was only handling four teenagers. Still, he had to do it as this was his his mission now, his life. Glancing at the masked soldiers he applied his own and braced himself for a fly by. This was gonna be a drop and pick up venture. He would lead the team, destroy the base and gather data. Then meet back at the pick up point and get the hell out. Simple enough yet it didn't stop him from holding the bar tightly above his head in concern. He was never leader material in his mind. He would much rather let Jak take the lead or anyone else for that matter. But alas, just like with the Paladins, someone was throwing him in the front seat without a license or a manual to review. Super. While he did like to work on the fly he wasn't sure if he liked it when it came to him taking the wheel.

"Landing in five." He heard Jak state aloud to the crew. Keith took that as his signal to speak, "We get in, destroy the supplies, and find the the next supply point. That is all we are here for and nothing more. In and out. Don't engage if possible." Don't engage, like that was ever simple. A light flicked on above and the ship's hold began to open. Revealing the rocky earth of the tiny planet. As soon as the opening was big enough each member jumped ship and rolled into a sprint. Keith hesitated for a mere moment before joining them below. Hitting the ground running sent an instant adrenaline rush throughout his system. It was like someone had just flipped the switch in his head from "anxious" to "business" mode. Every tiny bit of concern was left on the ship and all focus was on that task at hand.

The group of ten broke off into three sets of three. Each going their own designated location as planned to accomplish given goals. Group one broke out to the west to destroy the cargo. The second went north to do the same while last group went to the east towards the main control room to find the next supply route. Keith was part of the last group. While he wasn't as proficient with computers as Pidge he could certainly hack into them though not as quick as the Green Paladin.

By the time he caught up with his team they had succeeded in opening a side panel and slipped in silently. Keith, behind, closed the panel and slid down the tiny vent that must of been an air duct of some kind. One his feet touched the metal floor he hunkered down with a quick glance in both directions. Joining Jak behind a metal crate he nodded at him. The third member of their party was scouting ahead and strangely enough he motioned for an all clear for the other two to join. Strange, the hallways seemed empty as they traveled to the corridor. Not a single Galra insight. Perhaps they had timed this far too well and the group was loading cargo all ready? Who could tell but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Their journey went unnoticed though they did stop every so often to double check a corridor or wide open spaces for Galra. Only twice had they noticed a soldier passing by but nothing came of it. Jak was the first to voice his concern as they stopped at the door that barred their way. "I don't like this, it's far too easy." His thin fingers went through the panel next to the door. It always surprised him on how dexterous his companion was with only two fingers and a thumb. His hands where much like Antok's and suddenly Keith found himself missing the large Blade. He had died a while back fighting Hagar. His attention was pulled from his thoughts when the sudden swishing of the door brought him back. "Yeah." Was his only reply as he and Jak slipped into the room with the third Blade following after. He stood off to the side by the door as a guard.

The room was barren minus the multitude of holographic monitors outlined in purple. Below was a control panel with so many flashing buttons that Keith believed he was over his head for a moment. Jak instantly went to the board and pulled four monitors away from the stack and arranged them in a square. A few clicks and he was on the camera's, scrolling through and removing any trace of their movements as well as keeping an eye for company. Giving the former paladin a look, Keith took it as a signal to get going. He didn't bother to rearrange the screens as his fingers instantly stroked the keys. Data went across all of the screens at such a insane rate that he wished Pidge was here. Pidge could decode these in an instant unlike Keith who took a bit of time. Especially with the screen only showed him a mixture of numbers and Galra symbols. He was sudden thankful that Kolivan had seen it fit to teach him the language if he was to remain a part of their ranks.

"I think I found it…" Or that was what he was wanting to say but with the whole room suddenly shaking violently the only words that came out was a startled cry. He took hold of the panel to keep himself up right while the other two of his party were sent to the ground. "What in the seven hells?" He exclaimed behind his mask and in that moment he received his answer through their shared communications. Static came from the channel of team one as he held for them. Team Two responded, "Ulta's team is dead. The cargo has been swapped with explosives. " It didn't take a rocket scientist to see where this was leading. Ulta had detonated the cargo as planned but with them loaded with explosives caused a chain reaction. Now an even bigger explosion was going on.

In pure frustration, Keith smashed his fist on the board. "Abort the mission! Return to the rendezvous point! I'll finish here and meet up with you." Hybrid hands flew across the keys and in seconds the download began. Jak returned to the cameras and did a sweep through them. The explosion was traveling and even now the very room they stood in shook violently. Pieces of the ceiling started to crumble. But it was Knowledge or Death here. Knowledge had to come first and in seconds they would have it. "Come on. Come on." He chanted under his breath with impatience and fear. He turned towards his partners who merely looked at him. They wouldn't leave even if he begged them too. Not without the intel. Now the floor was rumbling beneath them concerned, he turned towards the computer. There on the panel popped out a tiny stick and he snatched in in under a second as the panel sparked.

Without a word he bolted out the door and his companions followed. Jak was beside him in seconds. That was the thing about him, he was faster than any Galra he had ever known or seen for that matter. Heck, the guy could probably outrun anything if he put his mind to it. Keith was positive of that. He flipped the tiny stick to him. Capturing it in hand Jak took off with a two finger wave as another explosion sounded followed by three more. The ceiling above started to crumble with chucks of all sizes, slamming down around him.

The former paladin dodged, jumped, and dances around them as best he could with his companion beside him. The two of them looked like a strange but elegant dance partners as they maneuvered around their decaying environment. Jak was out of sight and was probably almost outside as Keith could see the entrance. But the task was getting there before they were flattened.

His companion looked over his shoulder and let out a harsh word that Keith had never heard before. It caused the hybrid to pause just enough to look over his shoulder in mid run. A huge cloud of dust was funneling its way to them at a rapid speed. There was no way they were going to get out of its way in time. Forcing his body to move faster he pushed himself even as the ground grew uneven.

A loud crackling that of someone dropping a carton of eggs caught his attention. The roof was falling and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. There was nowhere to run. His fellow blade took noticed and made a split decision. Diving at the other he sent both of them tumbling through a doorway to the right. The ceiling crashed behind them and the last thing Keith remembered was darkness all around before his head cracked against a hard surface and the sounds of something shattering in what appeared to be in the distance.

Outside, Jak stood in silence with hand on a lifting chord and a foot through a metal triangle. He waited and stared at the building opening. No one had exited from his party. Above, he could hear the talk of the second team as they all watched the base ease in its explosions. The building was finally settling as its crumbled with dust floating all around. Again, not a single person came forth from the ruins but what came next shocked him. Glara fighters appeared on the horizon. Clearly, they had been waiting for the survives to come climbing out. "Come on, Keith." Jak became edgy as the fighters grew near and he could her the other blades shouting down at him to get on board or he would be left behind.

Still, he stalled as he waited for the former paladin to arise but the longer he waited the close the fights came. Letting out a curse he was lifted up with a quick signal. There wasn't a signal pause as the ship lifted up off the ground and shot out as quick as possible and leaving the fighters behind. Jak slumped in his seat, miserable. A fist slammed into the carriers wall and though it echoed all of his misery not a single soul look at him. Their brothers had been lost and so too a paladin of Voltron. No, not just a paladin but a former blade member who was nothing more then a lost young pup. Looking down, he pulled the small data stick from his pouch and sighed. All this death would lead to a great cause but still what would he tell Kolivan? Better yet, how does one approach the Paladin's of Voltron with the matter of having left a member of their ranks behind and possibly dead. All Jak could do was watch as the planet grew smaller in the distance.


	2. Difficult to Swallow

**Chapter 2**

 _Difficult to Swallow_

* * *

How strange it was to awaken in a foggy mindset that was unable to pick out the smaller details of his surroundings. It was like being drunk but without the fun of being in such a state. Unfocused, Blue-grey eyes narrowed and took in the one ray of light above him that added an ethereal feel to his surroundings as the dust fluttered in the light. Where was he and how long had he been out? He couldn't recall but that might also be due to the buzzing in his head and the ringing in his ears. Turning his head even slightly caused a wave of nausea that forced him to lay still on his back.

Small things started to register in his mind as he laid there such as a mixture of cool and warm mixture trickling down his head. He must of busted it on something. His right arm was on fire and yet numb at the same time. He was positive if he was to move it he could verify it was broken. Testing that theory snapped him into full awareness with a sharp scream into the empty silence. Sitting up suddenly, he soon wished he hadn't as he rolled slightly to the side to empty the contents of his stomach. His head was now pounding like a jackhammer was trying to crack open his skull.

Everything was coming back to him.

Cradling his busted arm on the cold floor he took in his closes surroundings again, this time more clearly. What appeared to be a storage room was a wreck or rather an understatement. Half the cabinets were destroyed, containers of who knows what were spilled out across the floor and rubble. Nothing was intact with shelves on the floor. Even the doorway was covered with no signs of it being possible to clear. A machine behind him was busted with a slight intent on the edge where his head had made contact. To the right, he discovered the original sounds of the shattering he recalled hearing, his mask was crushed under a ton of debris beyond repair. His left leg seemed to also be trapped in a mixture of rubble, shelves and that whatever was in the containers. Butt for some reason it didn't hurt all that bad, though he knew better. His leg was probably a mess and the shock was probably numbing it. He didn't try to move his leg now. He didn't want a repeat of his arm so quickly.

"Yukari?" He called out, voice cracking with pain and concern. Having recalling he had been tackled by his fellow blade. "Yukari?" No answer. That only had one meaning. He was either dead or managed to , spotting a dusty limb poking out beneath a car sized piece of rubble confirmed his first suspension. Muttering a curse under his breath he lowered his head into his hand. He felt sick all over again. If Yukari was dead did that mean everyone else was as well? No, Jak had made it out. He had to of but if he did then that means two things. The data was safely on its way to the Blades as well as to Shiro. But also, it meant he was abandoned.

Blades never went back for one of their own if they didn't make it back to the ship in time and he knew it. He was alone on this destroyed base with a broken arm, a cracked skull and possibly a fractured leg. "Shit…" There would be no rescue, no escort of lions to come dig him out. No one would come searching for him. He was on his own and if he wanted to return to the Blades it would have to be done on his own.

Ignoring the ache in his head he used his one good arm to try and remove the debris but it did not move. Again, he tired but with only slight success as the shelf above tilted and crash to the ground. Finding a little hope in that and knowing he made progress he shoved again. The debris shifted and turn just slightly which caused him to scream and flop down on the ground as the material shifted on his leg. This wasn't working out well. He had to get up and out of here regardless of the pain he felt. This was now life and death. He had to send a message out to let the others know he was very much alive and would be returning. Especially, before the Blades got to the Castle. His eyes turned towards the console, right, busted.

Sitting up he prepared himself, talked himself through the scenario, and then talked himself up to free his leg. Once more he shoved on the thick piece of ceiling and nothing happened. But this time he didn't stop, he kept at it and it finally started to budge when the sounds of voices made him stop with a grunt. Footsteps and lots of them seemed to echo all around him. Urgency suddenly captured him as he shoved and twisted the mass. Another scream, though this time silenced as much as he could by biting his lip, he was free. Taking one look at his leg he could see it wasn't broken but fractured it might be. He wasn't sure but he didn't have time to think about it. Glancing quickly he looked for a place to hide. The only shelter he found was the large pile of debris that was the makeshift grave of Yukari. Dragging himself painfully across the floor he was able to draw himself into its shadows right as a figure dropped down from the hole above.

"Well, this is quite the mess, isn't?" A male voice called out rather bored as two other bodies joined the figure below and then three more.

"Seems we were a bit late to the party, doesn't?" A sigh was the only reply to a feminine voice. Keith pressed his lips together tightly. He knew that voice well and he would be damned if he got caught by Lotor of all people. In a panic he looked around quickly and low and behold Yukari's clip that generated his mask was to his left. Quickly, he snatched it from the ground. Sending a silent thank you to his fallen companion he snapped the clip on and hit the button. In mere seconds his face was covered by a new mask. It would at least hide his face and offer him some protection from both Lotor and the elements. The sad thing was the mask might of not been physically damaged but the internal workings caused his vision to glitch every so often. Super.

"Ezor, we are merely here to entertain my fathers idea of an attack. Though, I hate to say it it seemed to have come true as he planned." The crunching of rubble under foot alerted Keith to the movement around him. Withdrawing his blade he held it firmly in hand as he listened. In total there was roughly five bodies in the room. Two that was light footed and the other three heavy, clearly soldiers. The lighter footed one, known as Ezor came to a stop in front of the mass Keith had ducked behind. Her dark clad foot tapped at the dead hand as if she might catch some unknown disease if she touched it with her bare hand.

"I would venture a guess it was the Blades. To think your fathers idea of sitting this place up as a false base to get rid of a few mice worked. Though, sitting it to explode seems a tad dramatic."

"My father has a flare for the dramatics. Regardless, check to see if there are any survivors. My father wants them brought in if we find any. Also, check the…" Lotors voice fluttered as he gazed at the ruined computer. "...I suppose it would be pointless to see if they gathered any information with the console utterly destroyed." Shaking his head he waved two of the three heavily armed soldiers carelessly away. "There isn't much to explore but scout as much as you can."

Keith held his breath, waiting for the footsteps to leave his area but they never did. Only two of the soldiers left which meant he had three left in the room. Leaning firmly against the rubble he took a deep breath as he tried to formulate some kind of plan of escape. Alas, he didn't have much of an option with a busted arm and a damaged leg. Then suddenly, there was nothing but silence. Not a single sound or word was spoken. Had they left and he misjudged the steps? Was that even possible? No, he couldn't be alone. Confused, he would tilt his head to the right to try and peek past the rubble but he didn't see anything at first because everything appeared blurry. It was like trying to look through rippling water or raising steam from a hot surface. Everything was distorted and uneven. It took only a mere moment to discover why the world appeared like a fun house as a pair of green on yellow eyes appeared in a rippling effect. Soon after the grinning face of Ezor was peering over him with her hands on hips. "Ohhh, why hello there Mr. Blade!" Keith answered with a sharp jab towards her colorful face with his knife. He moved quick as a vapor but she was must faster and easily flipped backwards out of his range. Allowing physics and gravity to act out their small humorous plans of allowing Keith to fall forward from momentum, landing on his arm and cry out through the mask. His voice must of been masked well because Lotor didn't take not of the tone or try to identify the voice. He merely turned with a sideways smirk with arms crossed to take in the view of the upper part of the Blade he could see in the darkness.

"What a pleasant surprise. One does live among the rubble." His voice was chipper with false surprise at discovering Keith's location as if he had known all along he had hidden himself away in that very location. Surprisingly, Lotor didn't move from his spot nor did his general as they watched Keith struggle to stand. While he did manage to get to his feet his leg easily collapsed beneath his weight painfully. At least it wasn't fractured as he feared but it still hurt as hell and would not support his weight. Begrudgingly, he accepted the fact he was caught here but he wasn't about to give up. Again, he stood and only managed to take a few steps forward with his blade held in a offensive posture to attack before he went down in mid swing at Ezor who once again twisted away like a professional dancer.

"A stubborn one at that." Added Lotor while Ezor kicked the weapon out if Keith's hands and proceeded to play hacky sack with it for the time being. Eventually, she would kick it all the way up to her hands. From there she held the knife and flipped it to the left and right, admiring its balance and weightless metal. In seconds, the remaining guard lifted a struggling Keith by the base of his neck with one hand, the other took hold of one arm and bent it behind his back. He was lucky that his broken arm hadn't been the one to receive that particular treatment. Otherwise he was positive he would of blacked out from the sheer pain.

"Take him aboard. We at least have one mouse for the empire to squeeze and Ezor, if you would be kind." Holding out one gloved hand towards his pouting General. Rotating the blade once around her hand she merely flipped the weapon to her commanding officer. Once in Lotor's hands he regarded the weapon then promptly tucked away on his person. About that time the remaining two guards returned empty handed minus one who merely carried Ulta's mask in hand with the sure sign that no one else had survived leaving Keith heartbroken and angry. They had somehow taken false information and easily fallen into a well laid out trap of Zarkon. All in hopes of wiping out a majority of their numbers in one go. Luckily, only a handful of them entered the mission and only half made it out. Someone was going to pay dearly for this tragedy.

* * *

Across the Galaxy, a large ship docked the Castle of Lions. Jak sat in the commons of the ship with his eyes focused only on his armor covered hands. He wasn't ready to face Kolivan or the others but it was bound to happen. He was only avoiding the inevitable for as long as possible. A few of his comrades entered the room as others left the ship to venture into the Castle. Pushing his hood back and tapping at the tiny button to lower his mask it was clear to see that Jak was could still be considered a young Galra. His mixture of white and purple mane styled in mohawk that ended in a thin rat tail. His fur pattern looking similar to the past Ulza but clearly different. He was of no relation to that particular comrade but many said there was a slight resemblance towards him.

In his moments of silence, he tired to figure out the best way to tell the others of the events that unfolded. However, his time was brief as Kolivan stepped into his line of vision or rather his feet. Looking up, Jake made eye contacted with the yellow eyed leader who was casually frowning down at him. "I've been told you are the only one to come back from your team. Is that correct?"

Jak lowered his eyes and looked off to the right. "Yes."

"What of Yukari and Keith?" He asked softly.

"They had been behind me. Not too far but when I turned back there was nothing but a cloud of dust. The whole mission was a trap. The supplies cargo was nothing more then well concealed bombs that donated with our own. We lost almost everyone but, Kolivan. Yukari wouldn't let Keith die. He must still be alive on that planet. We have too…" His words were silenced by a breath intake of their leader.

"We will not go back. It is not our way, Jak. He knew the risk just like everyone else. If he is truly alive then he will find his way back to us. If not, then we shall meet him again in our own passing." Kolivan stated simply.

"But, Sir! The Paladin's will not accept this!" Jak stood so suddenly that it surprised himself more than it did Kolivan who only narrowed his eyes slightly at his subordinate. Dealing with death was always hard no matter the race and even harder for those that favored one another. Jak had been fond of the former Paladin even if he did not know it at the time.

"Even if I wanted to go back there Jak I can not. It would put everyone here at risk and could compromise our whole mission. Especially, if they were there waiting for us. By now they would be combing the base if not the rest of the plant for any traces of us. All we can hope for is a swift and painless death for the young pup. If the Galra Empire find him he will a fate far worse than death. You must understand that one man, no matter his ranking or value, is not worth putting everyone at risk. Now then, go to your room and rest. I will handle the Paladins of Voltron." Reaching out he gently rested his hand on the younger ones shoulder. "His death shall not be in vain. He has done much for the cause. The data he gathered with you shall prove useful." And with that Kolivan left a tired and angry Jak behind.

Boarding the Castle of Lion's had always been an interesting affair. Mostly, because of the environment being completely different. The whole ship always seemed to vibrate with life, laughter, and overall too many emotions that Kolivan was not used too. While the Paladins of Voltron were quite the formidable foe and a great alley he considered them to be quite exhausting. Lance was always far too talkative for his own good. Pidge always seemed to be looking for something to analyze and pick apart for answers or in other cases wanting so badly to learn their tech that he had once found the Green Paladin trying to steal a mask. Luckily, that didn't get very far but he would be damned if the tiny squirrel of a pilot didn't try it again sometime soon. Hunk was an endearing human but his squamish stomach always seemed to pop up in the worst times. Truly, the only human he could stand for a long period of time was Shiro. He swore that the Black Paladin was the only one with a strong military head on his shoulders that was worth his grain of salt. He could understand battle tactics, think three steps ahead and overall understand Kolivan, well, to a degree at least. It was enough though to gain Kolivan's respect.

Among the Alteans, he had no issues with them. Allura was a fine woman but her emotions often got the best of her but then there was Coran. He seemed quite goofy but Kolivan had a strong feeling that was purely for show. He had often caught the much older Altean eyeballing him off to the side in a more conserved manner. As if he was sizing up the Galra for a fight or merely waiting for him to move out of line with the Princess. In short, Coran unnerved him due to the single fact he couldn't figure out the fellow. He came to a sudden stop as he neared the entrance to the bridge of the Castle. For a moment, much like Jak, he felt anxiety of delivering the news. He knew very well that they would not handle it well much like the young Galra had stated earlier and to be quite honest, Kolivan hadn't taken it well himself.

He had been hard on the former red but he had to be. He was still young, stupid and headstrong. There was so much training to be done still but he had thought that sending him out as a lead could strengthen him. Give him that confidence boost and a sense of self worth. One that would outweigh the ever growing negativity in the young one that believed he couldn't fit in anywhere. He had hoped Keith would of returned with a feeling of pride and to feel like he too had a place in the universe, a place to call home. Unfortunately, his ideal had failed and the boy was lost among the rubble on that desolate planet. It pained him beyond belief to have lost the boy and the comrades he sent out. But being the leader of the Blade of Marmora had taught him to be cold. He couldn't afford to show weakness to his crew. Someone had to remain strong and tall at all times and that person was himself. Only when he was truly alone did he allow himself to feel and right now, he could not. Pushing away his own thoughts of sorrow he raised his head high and stepped into the control room like he owned it. Two large companions followed him in as the doors swooshed closed.

Coran was at the castle's panel as usual with Allura in the center piloting and settling the ship to remain still for the time being. Pidge was at her own seat, leaning into two screens that flowed with information with Matt standing next to her. Lance looked board as usual. The only two that turned towards him upon entering was Hunk and Shiro. Both had apparently been engaged in some conversation before he interrupted their topic.

"Kolivan." Shiro greeted with a small thin small and a nod as he pulled himself away from Hunk's talk. The other remained silent with a tilted head. It didn't escape him that Hunk was staring at his company with eyes scouting for a similar, thinner, framed individual who was not accompanying him nor would he again. The announcement of his arrival seemed to have caught everyone's attention minus the Halt siblings. He could tell from a distance that they were perfectly absorbed in decoding the information supplied by Keith.

"Welcome back," Came Shiro's greeting. "We just got your intel. As you can probably see Pidge and Matt are all ready working on it. Seems to be something pretty interesting seeing as they haven't even turned to say hello." At that, the Halt siblings raised a hand in greeting but never turned their eyes away from the screen. "It shouldn't take them too long to get it all decoded." There was a pause as Allura finally lowered her arms once the ship was stable enough to be left alone. Turning on her heels she offered Kolivan a tight smile. The Princess was still getting used to those of Galra heritage coming and going on her ship but at least she wasn't hostile about it any longer. The only unsettling thing about her was her sharp eyes looking between his guards. She too was looking for a the smaller male.

"Welcome aboard, I hope the mission went well." Her greeting seemed pleasant enough though strained.

Silence. One hundred percent awkward silence filled the bridge and for the first time in many years Kolivan felt a tad uneasy. "So, um, where's Keith?" Hunk asked finally with a single point towards the guards in a shy but blunt manner. "I mean, not to be rude but usually you send Keith in with news. But um, you know, that's no big. I mean, I'm sure he is pretty busy and all and you like to leave the ship too from time to time. It's cool man. I was just, ah…" Again, everyone but the Halts now had all eyes on Kolivan for answers. Lance swiveled his chair to face him, legs crossed ankle over knee. Allura looked concern and Coran was once again sizing him up. Hunk looked nervous as he poked his index fingers together all while Shiro stood there with his arms crossed.

Shiro then tired to translate Hunk's words without the stuttering, "I think what Hunk means is we are all happy to see you but it is a bit odd for you to come for a social visit after a mission" They were correct in that manner. Kolivan only ever boarded the Castle for things related to missions, strategy, and political talk. He was never one for small talk and when a mission was completed he did allow Keith to return to the Paladin's if he wished for company. It had usually put the boy in good spirits and made him easier to handle. But in this case the meeting was for a darker visit.

His silence caught Shiro's attention with his brows coming together. Ah, their leader was a smart man and when his arms dropped to his side he knew why Kolivan was here. "What's happened to Keith?" Now, this sentence alone finally caught the Halt's attention. Both siblings all together stopped their muttering over codes and turned towards Kolivan like he just slapped them with a hot poker. Looking at all of them the old Galra sighed but did not remove his mask in fear of his own face betraying him.

"Keith did not return to the rendezvous point on time. We assume him to have perished." Blunt and to the heart of the matter. Kolivan was not going to sugar coat the situation. With arms behind his back in military style he stood firm even as the information seemed to work its way through each Paladin. The silence was deafening and so he continued. "The base was a trap and was set up with explosives to detonate with our own. We lost half of the party sent out, Keith was one of them. Luckily, he had handed Jak the information before the building collapsed. We assume he was still inside as no one saw him come out.

Lance was the first to speak as he pushed himself out his chair violently, "You're telling us that you abandoned him! You didn't even check to see if he came out on another side!" His words were so full of emotion it took Kolivan a moment to regain himself. He had forgotten how passionate and loyal the blue pilot was to his fellow paladins.

"He knew the risk. We do not wait. Galra fighters had already started moving in. If we did not pull out at that moment more would of been lost as too the information he had went to retrieve."

"That's bullshit! There was plenty of time if you had ju…" Shiro held out a hand to silence Lance who, for once, did so for the time being but he wasn't liking it.

"Kolivan, do you know for sure he is lost?" The words came out dryly as if his tongue turned to sandpaper. He was in full agreeance with the blue pilot but he had to stand as their leader and hold his own feelings back for the time being, much like Kolivan. The other Paladin's sat in silence each playing out their emotions mentally but for some reason Pidge only sat there with a tilted head.

"I only know what was reported back. I did not see it with my own eyes but it is safe to assume he did not survive." Kolivan responded.

Shiro turned his vision from Kolivan to Pidge. The Green paladin made a sound like a huff and went towards her screen. Slapping the codes over to the side she popped up a new screen and began furiously typing. "So there is a chance he is still alive and possibly stranded." Shiro commented coldly. "While I understand your intent to leave him and your own culture, you have to understand it is not in our ways to leave anyone behind. Pidge?"

"I'm looking." She called out with a wave of her hand all the while Matt turned to lean against the back of his sister seat to explain what was happening. "The last meeting we all had together Pidge took it upon herself to modify Keith's gear. The Paladin's armor has a built in tracking device to help keep an eye out for them in case they ever got lost again, if say, a jump didn't go so well and all the lions fell out, sound familiar?" Lance mumbled and Allura cleared her throat. Everyone recalled that episode. "So, what your saying is we could possibly see his whereabouts?" Allura offered while Coran stroked his mustache in thought,"That's brilliant."

"Technically, speaking. Yes, if we are close enough to him which sadly we aren't. My beckon works differently on our armor because I've installed in our helmets that can produce a great signal, thanks the our communication set up. But with Keith's, it will only work from a certain distance and while its at a great distance, we are to far out. I haven't got gotten it to work the way I wanted it yet, it's still a prototype for his type of suit, because he doesn't have a physical helmet so he doesn't have a wide broadcast system. However, if his suit is still functional and on his person I can tell you if he is still alive. Because let's face it people I am ingenious." She started to rattle off all the modifications she had performed from tracking to a bunch of other gibberish with his life support monitoring system and other mobo that no one else but Matt could follow. Clearing his throat, Matt continued as he silenced his sisters ego. "In other words, we can pick up on his suit signal purely on the data that regulates his vitals. Of course, that is to say nothing in it is broke or he has taken it off or you know..." No one wanted to say dead but leave it to Hunk to finish unwanted sentences. "Dead?"

At that moment a tiny purple pulsating dot appeared on the screen and with that a ton of random information, charts and waves flying by. Everyone turned towards Pidge for answers as they held their breath in waiting. Shiro drew close to her and leaned on the back of her seat with hope reflecting in them. "Well, Pidge?"

"He's alive but his heart rate is out of this world." Adjusting her glasses she, Shiro, and Matt shared concerned looks. Everyone folked towards Pidge's seat with looks of concern and pleasure in knowing their comrade was at least alive. "Any idea of where that planet is?" asked Shiro.

The question was not directed towards the Paladins but to a certain Galra who had remained in place the whole time, Kolivan. The old Galra closed his eyes behind his mask and while he was thankful that the young one lived he was concerned for it. Keith would never betray them but if he was in the hands of the Galra it would of been more merciful for him to have died in the explosion.

"It will be crawling with Galra…" Kolivan would further insist.

"I don't care." Shiro stated a bit roughly then he should of which caused the other Paladin's to look at him. "We don't have a choice. We are going back for Keith and like it or not Kolivan, you are a part of this mission." There was a silence between them and for a moment things looked hostile but the calming voice of Kolivan shattered it.

"Shiro, may I speak with you in private?" At Kolivans request, Shiro turned away from the group and left with Kolivan out the main door leaving the group and two Galra's behind.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Hunk asked. "It's probably just your stomach." Lance replied and Pidge sighed. Leaning back in her seat with her legs drawn up she stared at the screen in concern. "Who cares, Keith is alive and stranded guys. Who knows what's going on there but for one thing...his heart rate is only increasing."

"What does that mean?" Lance questioned.

"He's in trouble…" Pidge answered with a troubled expression.


	3. Leader to Leader

Chapter 3

Leader to Leader

* * *

Kolivan was like a puzzle that was created with the most awkward and intinitally annoying pieces known to mankind. No matter what piece you picked up or how you turned it, it never seemed to fit into place. Right when you thought you had something figured it out, it turned out you guessed wrong and one side didn't fit correctly. Either you misjudged the size or shape of the hole you tired to force the piece into it just wasn't going to work. Not even a hammer could adjust it. For a brief moment, he wondered if all Galran where like that due to the fact that even Keith followed that same aspect of being utterly unreadable.

Kolivan had many sides to him and yet Shiro could never quite figure out his inner workings. Kolivan was the type of leader that never bat an eye at the many lives that had been lost under his command. He was a stern man who was set in his ways and would always remain inert. Sure, the man was a genius in certain aspects but more often than not seemed to have the emotional capacity of a rock. Granted, he could simply be misunderstand him or overlooking a fine detail somewhere. Perhaps, the gorilla leader had lived far longer than any human could ever hope too and thus had seen a lifetime of horrors that hardened in that way. Still, that would not justify his actions of abandoning someone under his command that was clearly still alive, regardless of the greater good. If there was a chance to go back and nab the former paladin he would do just that. He would grab him by the back of the his scrawny little neck like a misbehaved cub and promptly carry him away all while scolding him for causing mischief.

Regardless of the mission his paladin's, no, his friends came first. They would always come first no matter what. They were his family and Keith was a major part of that family whether he knew it or not. If only he could get Kolivan to see his viewpoint. He knew, that deep down, this fellow had a heart and feelings even if he had a tight hold of them. He had to be concerned about Keith as well, right? He couldn't be that stone cold to all the emotions. There had to be a chance to make him agree to either give him the coordinates to the planet or agree to help. At least, that was what he liked to believe anyways.

Their walk was moving at an easy pace down the long corridors of the castle. The white walls seemed far too bright for such a dim conversation that was about to go down. Shiro instantly felt dread run cold down his spine as they took a sudden turn. This acknowledgement of this destination meant one thing, this conversation would eventually end poorly the moment it would start. Taking another turn the white walls started to change into a gray tone and the warm teal lights had started to switch over into a brilliant red fluorescent.

"Kolivan," Shiro started softly to gain the blades attention. It worked for a mere moment as the larger individual spared him a glance before taking another turn. Shiro followed with a sigh. Yep, this was going to lead to a wonderful and heartfelt conversation.

Kolivan entered the hangar of the Red Lion. He stood tall with his arms crossed over his wide chest. Standing there in silence for a good moment he would finally turn towards the Black Paladin. Shiro met his gaze and crossed his arms as well, neither of them looked like they were going to budge on their view points. It really looked like to very uneasy and stubborn children staring at one another. Shiro would be the first to tear his gaze away to look at Red. She sat as still as a statue with no intention of moving or raising her barriers around her two visitors. She looked on at the two as if this was just some everyday common occurrence to be visited by a Blade and Shiro.

"Shiro." Kolivan stated softly to break the silence between the two leaders. "Has the lion moved at all since Keith's…" He paused to try to think of a better word to describe the situation. "...disappearance?" Not quite the word he wanted to used but it only seemed appropriate given the new information Pidge handed to them.

Dark grey eyes of the paladin narrowed slightly, "No. She's remained in her hangar as you see her now."

"And the other?" pressed Kolivan as if this was simply a day to day conversation.

Shiro's eyes narrowed even more as his earlier fears was starting to no longer need any confirmation. He hated to be right especially when it came to his gut feelings. Kolivan wasn't going to make this easy. "Black hasn't moved but that doesn't mean Keith isn't a part of this team." He pointed out clearly and firmly, knowing the card that was being pulled out and waved around at his face.

"Hmm, is that so? Tell me Shiro, how many pilots does it take to form Voltron?" Kolivan's mask phased out to reveal his yellow eyes staring into Shiro's as if he just won the argument. "I am no fool. I know many things and I know that your lions respond to their pilots. The red one has often flown to Keith's aid in his time of need on many occasions. Even your own lion has come to you regardless of who sets in the seat these beast respond only to their true paladin. I ask once more and this time directly, why are you wanting to rescue a pup that has no further use?" His voice was gentle but his words stern with deep curiosity on the matter. For the first time since they left the bridge it seemed like he was fishing for logic and a reason to act upon. Like he needed some kind of affirmation to roll into actions that went against his code of conduct.

Turning away from Kolivan's gaze Shiro merely looked up to Red and stared at her. For a moment, he wished she would do something even if it was just merely swatting at Kolivan for basically disregarding Keith completely as if he was nothing but another pawn to be used in a game. Keith was more than that to the team and to him as well. "It isn't a matter of "use". It doesn't matter if he can or can't pilot one of the lions. It doesn't matter how skilled he is or what he can do for us to further the cause." Shiro paused to gather his thoughts on the matter. It was true that Keith was no longer a paladin but it didn't make him useless. Shiro fully understood how it felt to stand on the sidelines and not being able to do anything. But unlike Shiro, Keith had pulled away on purpose believing it was best for the team.

"We're his family and we take care of each other. Keith has put his neck on the line countless times to protect each of us and while he is reckless he never gave up on any of us, including me. I won't give up on him. If there is even a tiny glimmer of hope of getting him home I will take it without hesitation. All of us would. No matter the cost."

"Even if it could be the downfall of Voltron?"

Shiro did not answer and there was a silence between the two leaders. "Without Keith, there is no Voltron." He would reply simply

A soft huff that sounded like very much like a chuckle came from the Galran. Concerned and largely stunned Shiro would once again, whip his head to the side to stare at Kolivan. This time though his expression clearly showed that he believe Kolivan might of just grown two heads. "A-are you laughing?" He questioned with disbelief after such a serious subject he expect much more from him. He expected a soft lecture or a mere disregard of his words but instead he saw a small twinkle in the eyes of a leader.

Kolivan seemed to take his time with his answer. "You reminded me Antok just then."

To be honest, he didn't know how to respond to that comparison. The late blade was a bit rough around the edges and had kept very much to himself. If anything he was pretty unapproachable and Shiro hardly could see the mirror image of that to himself. It must of showed on his face because Kolivan further explained. "Believe it or not, Antok had similar views as you. He considered every member of the Blades to be held dear much like a family of sorts. He detested leaving anyone behind even though its against protocol. He would often argue with me about it. Saying, there would be no Blades of Marmora without the trust and loyalty of our comrades. At times, he even would address it as caring for each team member." Letting his arms fall to his side held what looked to be a very faint smirk on his face but it only remained there for a moment before his usual scowl appeared. Shiro thought he might of imagined it. "In fact, he was quite fond of Keith even if he chose not to show it." Reflecting on the past the Galran would shift his weight to one side. "Tell me, Shiro, what was Keith best at?"

It was official, it was impossible to understand this guy no matter how hard he tired. He just seemed to jump around like some weird jack rabbit of subject matters. "Ah, beyond his swordsmanship? He was an expert in explosives. Why do you ask?"

Kolivan turned on his heels military style and started out of the hangar with one spare glance at Red who seemed to have cocked her head just slightly but then again that too might of been his imagination. "Jak and myself will accompany you to the base you seek."

"Wait, so you are actually going to help us? Why the sudden change? Isn't it against your protocol?" Shiro questioned quickly feeling as if a headache might suddenly becoming on. Kolivan sure knew how to give him a one when he wanted too.

"You said he was an expert in explosives. We need more who excel in that." With that said Kolivan left the hanger and disappeared around the corner in a casual manner. Now alone in the hanger Shiro shook his head with a sigh. His cybernetic fingers touched his temples but a small smile touched the corner of his lips. "Well, at least he does care in his own strange ways."

* * *

Sailing across the Galaxy in his personal cruiser Lotor looked as bored as he always did. Sitting slumped in his command chair with his head resting on one closed fist while his other hand held the Blades' luxite weapon. Lightly, he tapped it against his chair while clearly thinking hard on the matter. He paused his motions only for a moment to rotate the small blade in his hand. It was such a simple design but he knew this weapon had another state that would prove to be far more impressive. Yet, as much as he willed the blade to switch its form it refused to do so and he felt as if the weapon might just be laughing at him. Lowering the weapon he stood from his chair. Ezor looked towards him with a raised brow but didn't try to stop him as he left the bridge with a simple order. "Tell my father we will be returning shortly with a captive."

The doors closed behind him and he was on his way to the holding cell section of his ship. With his cruiser not being as big as most it wouldn't take him long to reach the holding cells. Flipping the blade around so the tip scrapped harmlessly across the metal wall. The blade came to a sudden halt as did he as he arrived at his destination. Flipping the blade around he quickly hide it away on his person. The promptly pressing a quick code he would enter the cell with the door left open behind him just to tease the idea of freedom to his captive.

A very unhappy captive who he couldn't see in the dark shadows of the ceil. Smart, he was avoiding the light which meant one of two things. He would either attack to escape or remain huddled in a corner. The last sounded unlikely and his first impression appeared to be true. The very moment he let the door stay open for more than five seconds a leg launched itself right at his face. Unimpressed but amused Lotor caught it with his free hand and pulled forward with the momentum. The blade weighed nothing to him but with the force of the momentum between them ended with his prisoners raised leg touching his forearm and the rest of him. Not quite what he had intended but he would roll with it even if he was in the others personal bubble by complete accident.

Lotor took this moment to size up his opponent who looked startled by being so uncomfortably close to him. He was smaller than him in both height and stature. Though as lean as he was he could certain see the muscles the boy had beneath and it wasn't anything to scuff at. Clearly, he trained often but he hadn't trained enough to keep his ass out of trouble it seemed. His mask,though, was still in place and was interesting sight. But what really caught his attention was that the blade seemed to have had taken care of his own arm. Having given the boy no medical care it seemed he made a sling out of his own belt to support the useless limb as well as to remind himself not to use it. Smart lad.

The hold must've been starting to strain his captive. The muscles in the leg twitched within his hold, vibrating the strain and discomfort within. He doubted the tremble was out of fear and to test that theory he tightened his hold. In an instant the Blade withered with a cry of pain. The idiot had tried to attack him with his injured leg instead of using it for balance. Perhaps, he thought of using his stronger leg for bracing would make it easier for him to recover after the assault. It was just a shame it didn't work out in his favor.

"I am not sure if I should chalk that attempt up as courage or foolishness." Amused, Lotor simply dropped the leg with a small shove nonchalantly before taking two steps into the prison with the door closing behind him, sealing them both inside for the time being. His prisoner had crumpled to the ground and landed on his better side. The pain seemed to have put him at a pause and gave Lotor just enough time to shove him over with one foot. Pressing down on his gut he leaned down to face the masked individual.

"Maybe a bit of both but that won't help you here. You're weak as a kitten my dear and completely at my mercy for the time being." His fingers lowered towards the mask and casually drummed at it much to his captives displeasure who swatted his hand away. Heck, he even tired to shift himself to remove the foot but that wasn't happening. "Though I do wonder, who is behind the mask? Who is stupid enough to have followed false information and live? Hm? Let's find out."

Fingers moved across the cold surface of the mask looking for the button that would make it fade out. The Blade's one good hand shot out and squirmed beneath him but he never spoke. He was as silent as a mouse. Most would be cursing his name. Yelling out idle threats and more. This fact made him far more curious because that led him to believe one out of two things. Either this person was unable to speak or was afraid his voice would be identified, meaning he had crossed paths with him before.

His index finger found the switch and pressed it. He would of had a lovely time staring at the fading mask if it wasn't for the fact the blade took a fist full of his hair that had been resting over one shoulder and pulled it sharply to the side. It wasn't enough to unbalance him but it certainly jerked his head down violently and force him to his knees. Gritting his teeth, Lotor took hold of the offending hand by the wrist and pressed between the wrist violently until the hand let go. Slamming the appendage to the ground he raised his head to look into a pair of the most vengeful pair of blue-grey eyes he had ever seen.

Hovering now above the wounded blade he knew who he had aboard his ship. This alone made the ache in his head much more bearable and worthwhile. "Well," He spoke through gritted teeth. "What a surprise, a Paladin of Voltron." If Lotor had been looking for verbal confirmation he wouldn't be getting it. Instead, the only confirmation he did receive was a straight on greeting from Keith in the form of a empowering headbutt. It seemed he never did know when to quite, did he?

* * *

Greetings everyone!

I hope you are enjoy the story so far. I feels good to be writing again after many years of not being able too. I must admit, this chapter gave me a bit of trouble because I really wanted to iron out a few prospective such as Kolivan and Shiros, who have two very different ideals on leading their teams. I hope to touch on more of that later. Though the story is a slow moving one I really hope you all stick around for the ride. Thank you so much for your support and reviews, favorites and more! I will do my best to get a chapter out each week if not more. I will also do my best to make sure my grammar and spelling isn't too hideous. My dyslexia at times gets in the way but I have been re-reading it to double check and might look into getting a Beta reader as well.

Again, thank you all and stay tuned for the next installment! I would love hearing from you all as well.

EpicBone


	4. Arrival

Chapter 4

Arrival

* * *

There was no end to the amount of pleasure Keith had felt upon head butting the Galran prince. However, in hindsight, it wasn't one of his most brilliant ideas. His head felt like it was going to explode off his shoulders and float away in space. Head butting someone shouldn't cause that much of an extreme reaction but then he started to recall why he was feeling so much pain and disorientation. Lotor hadn't taken the head butting very well and had responded with slamming the back of his head into the floor. Lotor must have only had to do it once or twice and the poor former paladin had went out like a light. Not surprising due to his current condition. Rolling over on his side took a little effort to get into a sitting position, "Geez." Keith mumbled softly, wondering briefly how long he had been out.

Lifting his uninjured hand to feel around near his ear and around the side of his head, he would sigh in disdain. The small ear piece that acted as his mask and communicator was gone. Lotor must have taken it while he was unconscious. Great, just great! So he lost his weapons, his luxite blade and his mask all in one go. He could only picture how much fun Lance would have teasing him about that. Leave it to him to lose everything before he even made it out the door. Lance would never ever let him forget it too if he found out.

Scooting backwards he leaned back against the metal wall, taking it easy but also frustrated beyond belief. He needed to get off this ship before they landed at whatever destination was in mind. But how? He had a broken arm, a screwed up leg, weaponless, and now mask-less. He was screwed from the get go but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try to escape on his own.

It wouldn't take long for whole Galra Empire to hear of his capture and even worse, make its way back to his friends. What would Kolivan do once he got the news and what of Shiro and the team? A part of him wanted to fully believe they would come for him but it was also reasonable to consider none of them would. He wasn't as important to their cause anymore. He wasn't Allura who they needed to be able to pass through wormholes safely. He couldn't pilot a lion nor did he have the leadership skills Shiro insisted that he had. He was just a half-breed in a group of gorillas. It would be in their best interest to forget him. It would be best if Shiro forgot about him.

The more he thought about his situation the more angry he was becoming. Everything was out of his control with no one to anchor him down. There wasn't a single person he could speak too, no one to put a hand on his shoulder or call him back into reality. Bringing his hand to the bridge of his nose he would pinch it roughly.

"Patience yields focus." Keith repeated the phrase to himself many times as he took a deep breaths tosettle his nerves and thoughts. Thinking too rash would get him killed here or worse. He needed to focus on the task at hand while being patient. Taking one last breath the former red leaned his head back and took in his surroundings. Surrounded by only four metal walls looked rather hopeless but the more he looked around the more his brain started to worked around the visual information. Above him was a ventilation though far too high up for him to reach and this suit had no thrusters unlike his paladin armor. There would be no way of reaching that. To his left and to his right was nothing of interested. In front of him was a single electronic door with a window slide in the upper most part of the door. Well, it was a start he supposed. Using the wall as support he pushed himself up with a grunt. Cringing he stood there for a long moment before limping his way to the only exit of this cell.

Reaching out, he braced himself on the exit and stared at it. He couldn't see any seams that were worn or any components out-of-place. Someone made sure to stay up to date on their maintenance. Still, his hand felt around the side of the door, above, and then to the center of it. Not a single thing was out-of-place for him to tinker with and he didn't have anything to pry stuff apart. His hip pouch was empty thanks to a certain long-haired prince. Frustrated, the former red turned and roughly threw his back at the door. However, it seemed there was no longer a solid surface to catch him. At some point during his twisting around the door had opened with a quiet Whoosh. Startled, Keith tried to regain his balance but utterly failed at having cat-like reflects and fell backwards into the comforting arms of the said prince he wanted to pop between the eyes.

Lotor looked as surprised as Keith felt but instead of looking as wide-eyed as his captive he merely chuckled. Having the most coy smile he could muster he would reply with just as much emphasis in his voice, "My, falling for me all ready? I didn't think bashing in your skull would lead to such affections." His gaze drifted to the side with all charm lost as quickly as it came, he casually dropped Keith.

"I'm flattered." Lotor ended.

Luckily, a sentry was there to catch his fall and jerk him to his feet, painfully, but at least he wasn't sprawled out on the floor. The idea of struggling free came to mind but it was quickly banished from his thoughts. The sentry had seen to it by shoving his gun up into the boy's lower back and another joined in on the fun. Keith took a moment to glare over his shoulder before limping forward all while doing his best not to stumble.

"That is the worst pick up line I think I have ever heard." Actually, no, Keith had heard worse from Lance on multiple occasions. The blue paladin would have so many horrible pick up lines that he used that he was certain he could quite possibly write a book on, 'How Not To Pick Up A Lady' and make a million. Alas, he would have to save that idea for another day.

Lotor merely glanced over his shoulder with no intention of replying. Keith, however, was promptly glaring at his backside the whole way. Even when Ezor joined them and phased into existence he continued to glare. Though he had to admit that Ezor scared the shit out of him when she did that.

"So, where are you taking me?" asked the former paladin.

Lotor seemed to think on an answer but decided not to answer. Instead, Ezor rotated on her heels and grinned a bit too large for Keith's liking. "Oh, you'll find out soon." She declared happily. Keith never so badly wanted to just smack someone in all of his life but he had to say, he was most satisfied with the bruise on Lotors head.

* * *

A single galran helmet sailed through the air as if it was a football being kicked out to a field goal. The item gained much distance and made a satisfying clack into a pile of debris. The star kicker sighed. While it felt good to send a helmet flying it did little to ease the tension in the air. Lance turned to view the mess they had landed in, the plant was in disarray and the false base was nothing more than a large pile of hideous rubble. "Pidge," Lance stated with some doubt. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

A voice perked up on his headset, "Yes, Lance. Kolivan confirmed this is the place."

"Really? Is he sure?" Lance questioned with some doubt. "We haven't seen any Galra. Not even a single fighter anywhere near or on this planet. I thought it was going to be crawling with those guys."

Pidge sighed over the com unit, "It looks like they didn't stick around long. We can only assume they left after they lost sight of the Blades. This supply base was only a ruse after all. They would have no reason to remain here."

Another voice cracked in to join the conversation, "So, then why are we here?" Hunk asked in curiosity. "If the Galra isn't here and neither is Keith, what's the point? Shouldn't we be, you know, trying to get closer to his, erm, dot?" Hunk added after a moment.

Pidge moaned, "Guys, come on. If we can get inside we might be able to find out where their ships might be heading to next. Thus, we can find Keith a hole lot easier than playing Pin the tail on the donkey."

Hunk made a sound of understanding while Lance just stood there, looking at his side of the base in disapproval.

"That's all fine and dandy but I don't see an entrance into the base anywhere." To help with Lance's statement he opened his arms wide to display the area in front of him as if the others could see his motions. Of course, they would be unable too as each one as at a different point of the building. "This is like finding a needle in a haystack. The place is trashed. We are just wasting time."

"Lance." Shiro warned with a sigh. "We all want to find Keith as quickly as we can. But Pidge is right, we need to know where they might be heading off too. So, keep looking. There has to be an entranceinto the base."

"All right, I'll see what I can do." Lance continued to roam the side of the base he was given. He wasn't sure why they where even bothering with this place. Keith's signal wasn't even showing up here and so he definitely wasn't on this planet. Sure, he understood Shiro's intent on trying to find some evidence to Keith's location but he doubted they would find anything here. His hands shifted across the outer wall of the base as he continued his search for an entrance. Again, there was nothing he could find. No seam or vent to bust or crawl into. The building had suffered major damage and half of it was destroyed while some of it remained standing.

Pulling away, he took a few steps back and stared upwards to the roof. It looked like the waves of the ocean with some of the building pressed upwards and others down. Hmm, maybe he could find something up there. Using his thrusters, he reached the top and Jak's joined him from the opposite side. It seemed the other had the same idea as him. Together the moved across the surface, looking for anyway inside the hazardous base. Using short burst of his thrusters Lance would look much like an uncontrolled bunny hopping from side to side. Moving over cracks that looked dangerous and landing in safer areas but still nothing. Doing one final thrust he turned in the air to face Jak as he went to land. "Man, this place just doesn't have an enteran-whoa!" As soon as he touched the surface of the roof with force of gravity at his side it seemed he had located a weak spot in its structure.

He went down with a startled cry and the roof crumbling down with him in small amounts. Jake merely stood there with a tilted head as if he wasn't sure what he just witnessed. "It appears the paladin of blue has found created an entrance for us on the roof."

In minutes the rest of the team would join Lance and explored what areas they could. Half of the walkways were heavily blocked off with debris that it wasn't worth clearing out. Others they could maneuver around. Finding doorways that aren't blocked or destroyed was difficult but eventually they came across a half closed door that took Shiro's arm to open. Jake stepped into it and looked around. The floor had a gaping hole in the center, the console destroyed. "This is where we took the information."

Lance just sighed, "That's great. But it doesn't help us. The console is busted and we aren't going to get anything from that." He pointed out with a heavy frown that would match Shiro's.

"Lance is right, let's see if we can't find another somewhere." Shiro admitted with a heavy sigh. The team moved on while Jak lingered there for a moment and rejoined them without a word. It would be another few doboshes before they would eventually come to another room. Nothing of use and moved on. Lance lost track of how long they had been in this place but it was starting to get to him. He didn't like leaving his lion by itself outside and he didn't like the time they were wasting. He turned his gaze to the left and caught what looked to be light peeking through a half opened door. Curious, he pulled away from the group that was trying to figure out what to do next. The door was just big enough for him to squeeze into and upon entering he saw the flood of light was coming from an opening in the ceiling he hadn't seen pryor too.

What he had stepped into was a large storage room with containers busted open, their contents dried up. Shelving units busted at all sides with some teetering dangerously. Taking a few steps forward he continued to investigate the room. He was so intent on his surroundings that when he felt something brush against his leg he screamed and backed away. He felt his heart leap out of his chest and float away as the group called out his name. It only took seconds for the door to be busted open fully and the team entering to find Lance on the floor. He packed right up into a shelf and finished tipping it over. His right hand pointed to a large pile of fallen ceiling, finger waving. "Something touched my leg!" He declared in wide-eyed panic.

It was Jake who approached the rubble and bent down to investigate. What had touched Lance was a gloved hand poking out. Jake knew instantly who it was, "Yukari…" He placed a hand on the pile and lowered his head for a moment.

"Jak?" Shiro questioned but then found his own answer when he joined the blade member. He said nothing more. Lance got back to his feet as he realized what had touched him. "Oh. My. God. Is that a hand? That's a hand! It's a hand isn't?"

No one said a word. Pidge pulled in front of the team as soon as she took note of the dented console. The youngest Paladin glanced with a sad expression at the hand but she knew there was little they could do for the dead. Keith was alive and right now, far more important than the fallen Yukari. Her fingers glided against the keys and was thrilled to see it still working. Violet screens popped up though fuzzy and flickering from the sheer damage done to the system. Jake would join her to the side with Shiro on the other. The rest of the team stood a bit back while Lance made sure to fully avoid the buried corpse.

"No, really. Guys?" Lance would ask with a weaker voice and not receive any answers. He just stared down at it, feeling sick to his stomach. other than that Lance tried to find something else to settle his attention on such as Shiro, Pidge, and Jak at the screen. It seemed the three were trying to pull up the camera system and Jake was shaking his head, speaking to the two paladin's in a small voice. He couldn't hear them but it seemed Jake had destroyed most of the footage to protect everyone involved. A lot of good that had done.

Shiro shared a few words and Pidge hunched over the controls seemingly not willing to give up on finding some kind of evidence. They knew the Galra took Keith but not who. It could be anyone. His gaze would turned away from the fuzzy screens and ventured around the room. There really wasn't anything of interest. Just rocks, building pieces, broken shelves, spilled containers and a mask on the floor. Wait. He knew that mask. Moving towards it he ignored the curious glance Hunk was giving him.

At the time he picked up the mask, Pidge exclaimed and pointed at the screen. It looked like Jak didn't get all of data taken out because their on the screen was Keith though there was no sound to the video. He looked like shit. Huddled up behind the fallen rubble and flipping on his-no, that wasn't his mask. Lance was holding the shattered object in his hand. The blue paladin looked the screen and then towards the each member as they watched the events unfold.

Hunk looked heavily concerned when Lotor landed next to his general. Jak he couldn't read for obvious reasons, Pidge looked concerned but calculating as her gaze went to the screens. She was looking at another screen, reading the data only she could understand. Shiro though looked as if he was somewhere between being ill and angry. It was like he couldn't decided on what emotion to feel as Keith was taken away and the video ended. Silence filled the room.

"Pidge?" Shiro would ask with a voice with a surprisingly steady voice that Lance wasn't prepared for at all. From the rigid look of their leaders voice he figured the older man would have a crack in his voice, concern, or anything other than even tones. It made him difficult to read.

"Give me a tick." She responded calmly, shifting between screens as they flickered off and on. Jak seemed to catch on what she was trying to do and assisted her by taking one screen to shift through something that looked like alphabet soup made from some unknown language. "Bingo." Pidge would remark with a sly grin with a shift tap of the bottom screen. "I got it. I know where Lotor's ship was heading too and um, you aren't going to like this…"

Everyone turned their eyes towards the tiny paladin as if she had the secrets of the universe. "It seems Lotor's ship was heading out for a recon mission but that's changed. Guys, he's going to Central Command."

Lance could have sworn the whole room just dropped to below freezing.

* * *

Keith felt like someone had just sucker punched him in the gut repeatedly. It seemed like the whole universe was out to get him and he didn't know why. Sure, he was a bit of a trouble maker as child, got kicked out of the Garrison, wasn't a team player, and the list seemed to go on. So there might have been some justification for the world disliking him but he didn't think it justified him to be on forced on his knees for the past thirty minutes as Zarakon debated his fate. His leg was killing him, his arm was swelling up in his suite and he was pretty certain he was going to die right here and now. But the damn emperor had just kept staring at him as if he was a generous helping of steak. In short, it was down right uncomfortable. Lotor and Haggar had been going back and forth over him and the uses he could have. He doubted Lotor meant anything he said but was merely using him as a point of distraction. Lotor never did anything for his father and had always been looking out for himself.

"He will offer you much entertainment in the Arena, Father." Lotor said brightly as he held a hand out towards Keith. "Why not make a show of power by displaying a most grand show of humiliation of a Paladin of Voltron?" He spoke so formally that it almost made Keith want to vomit. He never heard Lotor use such pretty language.

"He is useless to me." Zarakon finally spoke in dismissal while he leaned the side of his face against his gloved hand. "He holds no bonds to the lions nor do I wish to have another paladin in my arena." Short and sweet.

"My lord?" Haggar questioned.

Lotor turned towards him in confusion as Haggar looked towards her emperor with interest. "The red lion does not have the same fierceness it one had nor does the black." He further explained to fill in the blanks. He had fought with this man before and understood each paladin's fighting skills and temperaments. He was a hardened warrior that analyzed his opponents. "He is no paladin."

"However, he might prove to be of some use after all." He ended with a second thought. Golden eyes turned towards the witch. "He will be your new toy, Haggar. I wonder how the rebels will react to seeing their former comrade in pain."

Horror spread through Keith's body. He had seen the witches handy work on the robeast victims and those that she took out with her druids. He had no intentions of becoming like those poor souls. He would die rather than fall into her hands. Keith leaned managed to get one foot under him to push himself up only to be slammed back down on his knees by Lotor. Looking up he caught Lotor's amused expression. "Now, now, don't be so hasty." Claws dug into his shoulder painfully.

Keith shot him the most nasty expression he could manage before he blurted out, "I am so going to crack open that skull of yours, Princess."

Lotor blinked, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Princess." Maybe he should watch his mouth a bit better. Shiro always warned him it was going to get him into trouble. But then again, maybe he secretly enjoyed the taste of floors? After all, his face seemed to love getting smashed into them recently. Still, he tried to fight back as Lotor shoved his foot into the small of his back, sending him face forward into the floor. Somehow, by the grace of God he avoided further damage to his arm. Through clenched teeth he demanded to be sent to the Arena.

"Send me to the Arena! I'll give you a show all right!" Not to mention he would be armed and could find a way to get out of here. Regardless of his injuries he would die trying to get out or dying fighting.

A small husky laugh came from Zarakon out of what looked to be amusement, "I think not young one. You will serve me far better outside the Arena, no matter how tempting it is to send you there." Zarakon turned towards Haggar and Lotor and made a motion for them to disappear with the former paladin.

This was going to prove to be highly entertaining. If he played his cards right he might just be able to get his hands on the Black Lion or maybe something better than that. He would just have to wait and see what kind of hand he was dealt. One thing for sure though was he was going to enjoy tormenting Voltron and their annoying Coalition.

* * *

Hey guys!

We are finally getting ready to dive into the good parts of the story now that most of it is set up and ready to roll. Prepare for some tissue moments and probably needing ice cream on the side. I know I will need it XD.

I hope switching view points/groups was easy to follow. I am trying to make sure its flowing good in that aspect as I know that can get a bit confusing at times.


	5. Confirmation

Chapter 5

Confirmation

* * *

Space. It could easily be considered a place of brilliance that had the most overwhelming aura of mystery. It held hidden civilizations, languages, and thousands of people living their own lives. Every planet shined brightly and every star equaled that brilliance. But there was always one thing that bothered Shiro about space. In the endless void, it was easy to lose sense of time making it difficult to keep track of months, days, and even the hours. As much as he tired to keep track of it in his own way he found it difficult to keep a correct estimate. Either because of a forgotten day or battles. While Coran did have a calendar it didn't quite follow earth time the same way. Not to mention he still didn't understand what the Altean was saying half the time.

Standing alone on the bridge, Shiro stared out the large viewing bay lost in thought. He couldn't quite figure out how long Keith had been missing. He supposed it was close to a week now or a bit more. Though he had hoped for less. It was frustrating. Not knowing for certain made him fearful. What if they arrived too late? What if they moved him before they could get close enough to get a proper reading? How would they even reach him? There was a thousand things that could go wrong and very little that would go correctly. In truth, he wished his friend was merely lost among the stars waiting for them to pick him up and not stranded on Zarakon's homebase with God knows what happening to him or around him.

It took every ounce of his entire being not to focus on what might be going on. He had been in Zarakon's hands for a year himself and knew exactly what went on there. He just hoped that Keith could avoid the Arena. It didn't matter how strong his old friend was he knew he would eventually fall due to his reckless behavior. It didn't help either that the young man wasn't quite right. Shiro was no fool and knew something wasn't settling well inside the man but he couldn't put his finger on it. Getting Keith to talk about it was like pulling out his own fingernails. Eventually, he had let it go in hopes that the former red would come to him about whatever had been bothering him for so long.

It didn't happen.

Turning away from his current view, he paced the floor for a brief moment. Coming to a rest in front of the screen that held Keith's tiny bleep. He would study the numbers flashing by. Pidge, Hunk, Coran, and Matt were working together in finalizing their scans to see how far Lotor's ship was from Central as well as boosting the signal so they could pinpoint Keith with full accuracy. It wouldn't be long now. That alone kept him going. As long as they knew he was alive and well then he had full hopes of getting him back in one piece.

With a small flick of his index finger over Keith's tiny bleeping dot it would expand into a large monitor. Here, he was able to view the former paladin's life signs. His early readings had been off the chart but now they were perfectly stable without an abnormalities. Perhaps, he was sleeping peacefully right now. "Hold on, Buddy. We're coming." Shiro spoke to the dot with hopes that Keith would be able to hear his words of encouragement.

"How are you holding up?" The new voice shattered Shiro out of his mental torment and turn to see who had entered the bridge. His tense body relaxed once he registered the messy brown hair and the scar. Shiro would offer Matt a very small smile and cross his arms protectively.

"If I said I was all right would you believe me?" He offered.

Matt tilted his head with a scuffed. Closing the distance between them to stand next to him. "Please, I know you too well. You're worried sick about Keith." A quick gesture towards the opened screen to further his point. "It's cool man. Who wouldn't be?" Matt frowned.

Shiro stood there silently for a long moment as he watched Matt scan through the screen and pop open a side monitor and typed away on it. "Yeah. I'll be better once we get him home." Shiro spoke softly. With Matt here next to him he suddenly felt exposed. He shifted uncomfortably.

If Matt had noticed this reaction or not he made no hint of acknowledgment. He merely went through the screen to work his magic. Checking his update status, if the boost was working and other electrical work. "You're afraid he will be sent to the Arena, aren't you." Matt asked softly unknowingly driving a nail through his friends heart.

"Am I that easy to read?"

"No, not really. It's just that I understand your concerns. I can only imagine what might be floating around in that head of yours." Matt's fingers stroked the keys and paused with a small sad smile. "He's strong, you know? He's a survivor like us. Not to mention he's pretty quick on his feet."

"But reckless." Shiro added quickly. "He doesn't think things through. He merely acts on instinct and impulse. That can get him killed. No one will be there to cover his back." His anxiety suddenly shot up like a rocket the more he thought about this now. Keith could say the wrong thing. Gain the wrong kind of attention. What if Haggar took a liking to him? That thought alone caused his stomach to flip in the worst possible way. His body tensed and his cybernetic arm ached.

A gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder and he turned his gaze to meet a pair of soft brown orbs. "It's okay, Shiro. Just breathe." Matt spoke softly while he kept his eyes fully on his long time friend who looked like he was about to have a panic attack. "Try not to think the worst. Look, we have his vitals here. We can see he is fine. He isn't under any stress. He isn't hurt. Okay?"

The black paladin pulled away from the contact to run both hands through his cropped hair. Nodding softly he decided to change the subject. "Any luck on pinpointing him?"

"Well," Matt started as he gaze Shiro one last look before returning to the monitor. "It's about 98% finished. Thanks to my brilliant little sister and the others, we should be able to grab his location and track him. It's gonna be a bit tad unstable because of the distance but we can confirm where he is as long as he has his suit on. Without it, well, let's just say it would have been more convenient if he had his paladin gear." The rebel paused for a moment to realize what he had said wrong. Turning to Shiro he saw the deep worry and quickly failed about to distract the other. "Ah, what I mean to say is, um, we can, ah. Well, keep an eye on him with what he has on and-"

Shiro cut him off with a mutter, "As long as he has his suit on." That was concerning. If he didn't have his blade suit then they would lose all hints of his whereabouts and his life signs. So, if he was to be moved to a new location they wouldn't be able to find him.

A small and awkward noise went off that quickly disrupted their conversation. Both men raised a brow at the small, bouncing, neon green, face of Pidge making a strange laugh. "Does she use that for everything?" Matt asked.

"Seems that way." Shiro stared blankly as the tiny face disappeared. The screen suddenly shifted. Vital signs shrunk and moved into the left corner of the screen. Expanding in the center, a map of the galaxy. It moved, rotated, and zoomed in on its own accord and eventually stopped moving with a slow and steady dot, signifying their comrade's location. Another bleep showed up on the screen in the same location.

Matt brightened and pointed at the screen. "Hey! We got it! He is in…"

"The Galra Empire." Shiro finished for the other with an even voice. "And so is Lotor's ship." A silent curse came from the Black Paladin as he turned away from the screen with a heavy heart.

"Quiznak…." Was the only thing Matt could say as he gazed from the screen and then to Shiro with deep concern. It seemed they really had to make a strong and secure plan if they were going to go rescue Keith.

* * *

In another part of the castle, Lance sat alone in the kitchen. His rump fit perfectly on the counter top with his legs crossed at the ankles. In his hands was the shattered blade mask that belong to his rival of all things, Keith. Idly, he rotated the hunk of metal around and around as if it might give away some kind of secret. Of course, it was nothing more than a useless hunk of cold metal. It wasn't going to tell him a damn thing no matter how hard he stared at it. It was just solid proof that his friend was gone.

But like the others, he fully believed they could find him. They could bring him home but they just had to confirm his location. Busting into a Galra base should be no problem at all! But, he if he was in the Empire then it would be a completely different story. They were far away from there. Who knew how long it would take to reach him regardless of a wormhole.

Lance sighed softly, "Dude, why do you always have to do stupid shit?" He asked the mask evenly with a harsh glare that softened a moment later. He was angry that Keith was captured. He wanted to blame the hot head for getting himself into this mess. He couldn't though. It wasn't Keith's fault. It had just been a trap that the idiot walked into unknowingly and that could happen to any of them. It was just he expected more from the idiot. Like, you know, escaping the damn event without a scrap. Being able to take down everything and get back to them like it was no big deal. Then Lance could of properly teased him over something that went wrong on the mission or on something the former paladin had done.

"Lance, what are you doing sitting on the counter? I don't think Hunk will appreciate that."

Lance huffed with a small chuckle. "Well, wouldn't be the first time I would be told to get off the counter." He offered as he lifted his head to greet Allura with a micro smile. She stood at the doorway in her robe. The concerned expression on her face made his heart flutter but only for a moment as he took note of her eyes resting on the mask in his hands.

"I found his mask. I thought, well, maybe he might want it back?" He paused. "Or it could make a perfect frisbee to throw a this head. You know, whichever comes first?" He chuckled. He thought Allura would frown and shake a finger at his poor joke but instead she merely smiled lightly. "Yes, I expected as much." She entered the kitchen.

An awkward silence entered between them. The two always had awkward interactions it seemed and even now with a serious subject at hand the air wasn't quite breathable. Lance flipped the mask and Allura watched. "Lance, try not to worry. I am sure Keith is - " Her sentence was left unfinished as Shiro's voice sounded over the intercom system.

"I need everyone to the bridge. We have confirmation on Keith's location."

The two kitchen buddies looked at one another, "He does not seem to happy." Allura said softly. Lance looked down at the mask with a heavy frown. He had this horrible feeling in the bottom of his gut that grew steadily. Swelling him with anxiety and fear.

"Come on, let's go."

* * *

There was a few things Keith had learned about the med techs very quickly. The first being that they did believe in first aid. The second, they didn't believe in anesthesia or healing pods for that matter. The third, being strapped down to cold metal table was not ideal in the slightest. He wanted to move but every fiber of his being felt as if was on fire. They stripped him of his breastplate, his braces, and sliced open the top of his suit down the seams like it as nothing. He couldn't see his arm but he knew it was probably the most discolored and swollen like a marshmallow in a microwave. Heck, it probably looked as purple as the light within the room.

Before he could open his mouth to speak his mind they had moved his broken limb. The moment they even twisted it single direction the former paladin lost it completely. What happened next he couldn't remember even as he sat in his cell nursing his arm, trying to recall the event. His suit was partly ripped down the front and his arm was sealed in a strange hexagon patterned cast from around his thumb down to the right above the elbow. He supposed he might of passed out from the pain. But at least now that he could see his arm it didn't look so bad as it had felt. The swelling was down but the discoloration was still there.

His leg seemed better even though he didn't try to put weight on it just yet. Sighing, Keith leaned his head back against the wall. His eyes closed slowly. He was exhausted beyond belief. Had even even slept since the mission?

"Geez, how am I going to get out of this one?" He asked aloud to himself. His body felt hot. Not to mention it felt as heavy as cement. The only thing his body demanded of him was to sleep but his mind refused to grant him that luxury. It was far too busy thinking of ways to escape, missing his teammates and wondering where they might be right now. He had to remind himself that Voltron was not going to come here. It would be too dangerous. One man was not worth the entire galaxy.

His body slumped in the corner with his eyes growing heavy. His eyes closed but for how long was uncertain because a ray of light suddenly flooded the room. Groaning, he forced his eyes open to be meet with soldier. He was bulky thing with a mix of purple and black fur sticking out from under his helm. Waltzing into the room like he owned the place without even bothering to shut the door. He must of not been too worried about Keith trying to escape.

Quickly, he sat up and shot a deadly glare at the alien. Nothing was exchanged for a long moment before finally the alien threw a lump of garments at him. "Change." It was the only order spoken. Somehow, he managed to catch his supposed new wardrobe. He took one look at the black and purple clothing before throwing it right back at his capture.

"Shove off!"

The galra slapped the clothing out of the air with a growl. "You'll change or else!"

"Or else what? Beat me up? Sorry to say but a ceiling beat you to that all ready." Keith spat. Repositioning himself away from the corner he stood with the help of the wall behind him. Surprisingly, he discovered his leg supported him pretty well now. "Bring it Fuzzy-Wuzzy." Keith was in no shape to fight but he sure as hell wasn't going to back down nor was he going to be wearing the same clothing he found Shiro in originally.

Fuzzy-Wuzzy growled with a display of fangs. Taking three steps forward it wasn't hard to take hold of the all ready banged up and exhausted prisoner by the neck. But what was most surprising is that how fast that banged up prisoner could react by slamming his cast into that well protected skull. Fuzzy-Wuzzy shook his head with shock. It only seemed to enrage Fuzzy-Wuzzy and Keith then realized he most definitely screwed up.

Keith's arm burned in extreme pain from swinging it around like a club and Fuzzy-Wuzzy wasted no time and taking him by the hair, jerking him around and throwing him to the clothing on the floor. "Change." He demanded once again.

Keith pushed himself into a sitting position and smirked. "How about, go fuck yourself?" Fuzzy-Wuzzy's leg flung out towards his unprotected skull. Keith braced for the impact that never came. It soon occurred to him that Lotor must really have a thing for legs. Because the prince was standing next to him with a firm hold of Fuzzy-Wuzzy's leg and not looking at all pleased.

"I don't recall you having permission to injury our guest. I would highly reconsider your actions unless you wish to become the Witch's next robeast." With that said the prince dropped the solider's leg. Fuzzy-Wuzzy looked down at Keith, to Lotor and back to Keith. Making a quick I'm-watching-you-sign he left the room.

Keith wasn't sure if he should thank the guy or punch him in the dick. He was at the right level and it could lead to a very satisfying moment. Painful. But satisfying. Lotor turned to regard him with a careful eye. "I assume you don't care for your new clothes. Well, it is either that or going naked. I don't mind either option personally."

Somehow, Keith missed the sword that Lotor bore, unsheathed. But now that it was pointed at him. Holding still he merely stared up at the prince. "Never knew the Princess was a pervert."

"Never knew a former paladin was an exhibitionist." A slice was made in the already ruined suit that dragged from its current rip below the shoulder now down to his waist. A single thin trail of blood seeped from the paper thin cut. Maybe he should stop calling him a Princess.

"I thought hurting me was against orders and what are you even doing here?" Keith remarked with as much sass as he could.

"I like to bend the rules and go for long walks on the beach." Lotor remarked with a small shrug and brought the point of his blade down his captives chest until it stopped at the waist, making another thin cut in the suit. "Now, will you change or do I have to further offer my assistance in the matter?"

* * *

Hey everyone!

Sorry it took a bit to get this chapter up. I unfortunately lost my outline and had to go from memory _ for this chapter.

I hope it flowed well! Thank you all for your awesome reviews and patience! But soon, you might want to invest in some chocolate, its gonna get rough from here on out .


	6. Demands

Chapter 6

Demands

* * *

It was quickly discovered that allowing their prisoner to have an extra bit of cloth was a horrible idea. It didn't take long for their prisoner to realize that having a purple over shirt could be handy in its own right. Two quintant's later the first guard was almost strangled to death by said purple over shirt. The next three were a more creative version of the same scenario. In total, the young former paladin had ventured an escape repeatedly four times. But only once had he even got down the third corridor before being caught. His purple shirt privilege was instantly revoked. They learned pretty quick that just because you have a former paladin with a broken arm does not mean they aren't dangerous in the slightest.

Some that guarded his door wondered if it was even a good idea to even allow him any garments at all. The current one that guarded Keith's prison refused to keep his back to the door regardless of it being locked. He simply didn't trust the paladin and half expected him to blast through the door like a magical beast. Armed to the teeth with his suit as a weapon.

It had become a headache. But the old witch would have none of it and quickly seen to it that no one entered his confinements. Unless it was one of her own druids or Prince Lotor. Not that she fully trusted the prince but he did prove to avoid getting himself strangled when he entered, , she did find it quite refreshing when he arrived in her lab with a large bruise on the side of his face and a rather limp prisoner. It appeared, Keith didn't need a over shirt to keep on fighting his useless battles. His cast proved to have become a weapon in its own right.

Lotor dumped the limp form of Keith on one of her tables with little care. Not even bothering to adjust the rag doll look of the boy. The old witch regarded her prisoner with mild interest. He was certainly no champion but he certainly had the spirit of a Galra. It was just a shame he wasn't one. They would use more with his fierceness.

Brushing a lock of dark hair from her captives face she would frown slightly at the black eye he wore. Haggar turned towards Lotor to regard him with a cautious eye. "Is this going to become a common theme between the two of you?" She declared with an unreadable expression. Knowing full well the prince' personality to disregard her words, she moved to the side and gestured towards the black eye to make a clear point. Like a skilled game show hostess.

Lotor turned towards her with a smirk, "That all depends on him." Lotor left it at that and took to leaning against the wall of the lab with arms crossed over his chest. Normally, he would leave after depositing Keith in her care. But today it seemed he felt like staying. She turned her back on him to tend to her current project.

For hours, if not days, she had tried to extract information from the smaller male on every way she could think of at the time that would not outright kill him. But nothing came of it. All he would do was stared at her in defiance. There was no begging, no cry of mercy, but only a promise that she would regret her decision in harming him. Especially when she snapped his arm in two just after mending it the follow day. It was cute really. It had been so long since someone had given her that much lip. She was quite tempted to give it a third snap in a new location just for looking at her the wrong way, if the opportunity arises. She was certain it would. In fact, that could become a whole new game for her. How many times could one snap a human arm before it became irreparable? Well with the count on two and the arm being repaired more barbarically she wondered its long-term effects.

Her eyes rested on the scarred arm in question. It was in another cast giving its owner a false sense of security, that she was certain. It looked twisted as if the bones hadn't been quite aligned correctly this round. She might go about fixing that at a later date if he ever learned to behave. As feral as he is he would eventually lose that fighting spirit.

The sound of her door opening pulled her attention away from the subject. Her golden gaze came to rest curiously on her Emperor. Coming to stand beside her, Zarkon would peer down at the boy. He stood there in silence for a long moment. No one dared to speak not even Lotor who remained in place against the wall as if he was watching his favorite television show.

"I want him presentable in half a varga." Zarkon spoke at last leaving no room for debate.

"My Lord?" Questioned the Witch with a single raised brow. On either side of the pair, her druids came out to fetch blade. She paid them no mind as they did their usual business of securing the boy.

Zarkon stood watching the druids for the time being. It was as if he was trying to find the right words to express his needs. "I will be broadcasting your session to the Paladins. We will see how they respond." Crossing his arms over his chest he finally regarded their captive with a look of interest. "I want you to find a way to reestablish his bond with the Black Lion. He might become the beacon I need for the Lion to leave the ship on its own accord."

"Sire, if I may, I do not believe that is a wise choice. It is bad enough you already have one Paladin mixed in with your connection to the Lion. Having a second might make things far more complicated." Haggar added in her two cents that she knew her Emperor would ignore. He did just that as he disregarded her with a simple rotation to take his leave. "Get him ready."

Haggar watched him exit the lab with a small sigh. She did not agree with the idea of shoving a third-party into the links but who was she to say different? Certainly, he had a plan though his obsession with the lions often got in the way. Annoyed she turned towards the prince to say something but then decided it wasn't worth the effort. She would stare at him for only a moment before turning to direct her druids. If the prince wanted to stay to see the session that would be his business. She had other pressing matters to deal with other than a nosey prince.

Lotor had remained in place like a piece of well made furniture throughout the small meeting. Finding it a tad curious towards his Father's wish to insert a middle man. It didn't seem like a very brilliant idea. Though, he could see where this might lead too. Zarkon wasn't just sticking a third anchor, he was plotting a course for a goal. The question was, what was the reward?

* * *

Keith's head vibrates violently as if someone just stuck his head inside a bell and gave it a good ring. Much to his dismay, it was becoming quite common that he was always in some amount of pain. Be it from his head, arm, or whatever body part got in someone's way. Maybe he should reconsider some of his actions if he was going to be stuck here, or not.

With a shake of his head he tried to gain back his senses. Testing his limbs first he realized they were made immobile. He was also standing, no, attached vertically to a large something, possibly a table of some kind. Which meant he was more than likely in the witches hands or about to be dissected by some crazy medics.

Opening his eyes slowly he discovered the harsh violet lights hurt his eyes, blinding him temporarily. Squinting with a moan he turned his head away from the lights. Keith would wait a good moment before opening them for a second time. Once the his vision adjusted and cleared in at least his one good eye, he was able to lock onto a reflective surface slightly to his right. Though unable to make out what the object could be. One thing he could say for certain is, that judging by his deformed reflection, his hair was officially untamable. There would be no brush that would save that mullet with the amount of rat's nest that formed. His black suit was even worse, ripped at the edges with tears here and there exposing puckered flesh of healing wounds. His skin looked sickly and pale. Was it possible he might have a fever? Who could tell? But his body had been under a bit of stress under such a short amount of time. It wasn't uncommon, he figured, to look like the true embodiment of shit.

Pulling his gaze away from his rather hideous form he would cautiously scanned the room. Three druids where in the same room as him. One standing in front and two the side. Across the room was a medic with a facial masking reading, what he could assume to be, his life signs. He wasn't certain but he thought he spotted Lotor near the door. His thoughts didn't linger on him. He wasn't as important at the moment as the old witch. He didn't see her and that made him nervous. He didn't favor the idea of not knowing where she might be hiding. As if on que, the blue woman passed into view. Stopping to speak only to her druid and then to the medical personnel who looked less than happy to be attending this particular session.

Not one to be left in the cold Keith would call out to her, "Could we get this over?" He had other things to do and not hang around suspended on a metal table all day. Such as resting in his ceil to promptly plan and execute a break for it and get the hell out of here.

Haggar ignored him. She spent another five minutes before she and the med tech split ways. She would move to stand in front of him while the other disappeared. Her druid greeted her with a sage nod before taking a step back. "Don't be so impatient." Was her only remark as she then turned away from him to speak to her druid quickly. Then she stepped away from Keith all together.

Keith was getting ready to verbally assaulted the woman but a sudden flash to the side caught his attention. The object had been staring into earlier was finally identified mentally. It was a thin monitor. That in itself was a huge surprise for Keith. He hadn't a clue why there would be a monitor there. The moment it flashed into life he felt the first wave of fear since he arrived onboard. Staring back at him was the Paladins of Voltron. Each one looking far more surprised to see Keith while sitting at their individual stations. Their startled expressions soon turned towards concern, except for one particular individual. Standing to the back in the center of the bridge was Shiro. His burning gaze was fully focus on Keith. His gaze carried over a small message to his partner, they are coming for him.

Before anyone could even speak, Zarkon's voice announced his presence off-screen, "I believe you misplaced something. " It seemed he much prefered to leave Keith as the main focal point as that something that had been misplaced. Allowing the paladin's half a second to gather his thoughts the emperor of would continue. "I've come for an appraisal."

Lanced opened his mouth to probably say something a bit uncalled for but it seemed Shiro silenced him with a single hand coming to rest on his shoulder. The two shared a glance that spoke volumes to one another. Lance looked away and Shiro turned towards the video with an unreadable expression. But Keith knew better, he was masking his emotions and going into what he liked to call: The Garrison Stance. Shiro stood tall with his shoulders thrown back with a look of complete and utter control. He had the best poker face in the universe. He knew exactly how to hide what he was truly feeling inside.

"An appraisal." He repeated with full understanding of the situation but doubting the emperor's true intentions of merely looking for value of a life. "You have our attention." The paladin crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course, I offer a very simple trade of what I have deemed as equal compensation. I do hope we can come to terms." Zarkon's words came off as smooth as honey. Shiro though wasn't falling for it. He narrowed his eyes with suspension as the other paladin's stood silently in the background.

"We will not surrender the black lion." Allura stepped so suddenly into frame next to the unphased black paladin. His head turned towards the princess. Keith was almost certain he saw a brow twitch in irritation that lasted only a nano second. He knew they would never give up a lion for him nor would he ever expect them to do such an act. Still, it did little to ease the ache in the teens chest from how quickly she reacted.

"No, I expected as much." A twisted smile touched the Galra's features. "However, as much as I entertain the idea of receiving my lion I know that isn't quite worth the life of one of your, acquaintances." He paused for effect. "But, of course, if you do not wish to give me back my lion I do offer an alternative. I require you to first relinquish Olkari to me."

The amount of shock that swept through the Castle of Lions was enough to probably power the castle for ages. The silence was deafening with each paladin looking at one another as if Zarkon grew a second head. No one knew what to say about that demand. Shiro stood there like a greek statue taking in the information and evaluating it with careful regard.

Keith was the only one shouting. Jerking on his restraints in vain with viger. "No! You can't do that!" He yelled at the monitor. "I refuse to be the reason an entire planet falls back in this son of a bit-AHH!" His words were quickly silenced by the two druids next to him. Their magical energy shot through his body like lightning. Every nerve screamed that he was on fire even though he knew better. It was light someone just ripped him open and decided it was a great idea to dump a pile of salt into it all while sewing him back together crudely.

His screams silenced the bickering that he didn't even know had started on the screen. His companions faces paled. Allura had her hands to her lips. Shiro remained neutral. His jaw quivered only slightly due to clenching his muscles so tightly. A moment later the energy left his body, leaving his entire body steaming. A trail of blood made its way down the corner of his mouth showing the clear signs that he bit into the soft flesh with his teeth.

It felt like the world was spinning but Keith refused to let it take over. He glared hard at the monitor, at Shiro. Willing him to understand that this was unacceptable. There would be no trade. He would have to let him die in the hands of their enemy.

"You said, first. What else are you wanting?" Shiro questioned.

Zarkon merely waved his hand idly. "That will be for debate on our next conversation. Now, about Olkari."

"We can not surrender a whole planet that is not something we can decide..."

"Then your companion will become my constant source of entertainment." It was like everyone on board was just waiting for that response. Keith felt a sudden stab in his thigh. Looking down he spotted the med tech who glanced at him with what looked to be, regret. His yellow eyes glanced at the screen before quickly backing away. Having no idea what was injected into his system he could only assume the worst but he was almost certain it was something yellow.

His mind did not have much time to debate on the matter as the druids returned to their work. Their magic enveloped him for a second time. This round was far more painful than the last. He discovered that whatever had been injected into his system increased his sense and intensity of pain. Every hair on his body stood on end as he screamed at the top of his lungs. It didn't matter how much he held it in and tried to control it. Unlike before it was merely impossible. His skin throbbed in a way he had never felt in his entire life. It was like someone took a handful of cactus and rubbed it up and down his flesh. His insides felt like they were turning into marshmallows. Even the air smelt like something was burning. The sickening realization it could be him turned his stomach even more.

Whatever was happening around him was nothing but a blur. Sound became lost to him. He had no idea what was happening on the screen or if they were still watching him. All he knew is when the druids had stopped. The world had spun out of control and darkness became his friend. In his brief moments of peace he prayed that he was dying. If he died, Okari would be safe. Zarkon wouldn't be able to get a lion and Shiro wouldn't be faced with making the decision to abandon him.

* * *

The ship had been chaotic for two quintants when they had lost Keith's signal. Matt had tried to reestablish the connection and Pidge troubleshoot it while Hunk offered theories. But nothing worked. Refusing to believe he was dead they all assumed his suit was either damaged or removed in some fashion. Neither theory put Shiro at ease. Figuring out a plan was also taking far too much time. Kolivan shared his thoughts on the matter as did Allura but neither of them could agree on which path to take.

It was during one of their discussions that they received a hail from Central Command. Accepting it, they encountered Zarkon and Keith. For a moment, the team felt at ease but that ease quickly disappeared when the team realized what was about to play out before them. The feed would eventually end with Keith passing out with Zarkon leaving one last message for their all ready tortured minds, "You have five quintants to come to a decision."

Not a soul moved on the bridge. Allura looked towards Shiro. She thought the elder paladin was going to either pass out on her or break the nearest possible object. His gaze was frozen in place where the call had projected itself on the screen, now only held space. Gently, she reached out to touch his shoulder. Shiro flinched as if she just physically pulled him out of a black hole. Easing out of his commanding pose his shoulders sagged.

"This will not do." Kolivan was the first to speak. When the call had come through he had moved out of visual sight to avoid detection as did Jak who stood beside him. "His demands are too great."

"I know." Shiro spoke evenly. His galra hand came to rest on his left temple. It felt like he was falling down a rabbit hole that he could never escape. He had to do something but he didn't know what in the hell to do. They all had just seen their friend being tortured. It made Shiro want to find the nearest trash can and empty the contents of his stomach.

"Giving up Olkari could easily shatter the sense of security the coalition has brought to the universe." Kolivan continued without missing a beat. "We must consider all possibilities carefully."

"I know!" Shiro insisted sternly with a quick snap that caused the team to turn towards Shiro in shock. Even Jak tilted his head to look between the two leaders in concern. Having taken notice of his sudden and very uncalled for outburst, Shiro cleared his throat. Unable to face the others he spoke more softly to them. "I need time to think." Uncharacteristically, he tore his eyes away from his crew and left the bridge.

Matt, who had been near his sister, ran both hands through his long hair with a frown. He wasn't fooled by Shiro's calm escape of the situation. He could spot one of his episodes a mile away and he wasn't about to let his best friend suffer alone. Smiling at the others as best he could, considering the circumstances, he walked backwards towards the door. "I'll, um, I think I left one of my machines on. I, ah, better go check on it."

Now down two individuals, Allura looked at her paladin's sadly. Her hands clasped in front of her as she tried to gather her thoughts. Coran seemed to be at a loss of words as well. "We should all rest." She commented softly, trying to find something to say. "We have five quintants to come up with a plan of action. Until then, I suggest everyone rest so we can all have level heads when we make a final decision." She pressed her lips together.

"We are going to abandon him, aren't we?" Hunk asked softly with a deep sadness. "There is no way we could as the Olkarian's to go under Zarkon's rule. Especially, after we liberated them. That would be...horrible." He looked miserable as he spoke like someone had just destroyed every hope and dream he ever had.

"No, man. We aren't going to abandon, Mullet. We will figure out a way to save him without giving up Olkari. Zarkon doesn't know who the hell he is dealing with!" Lance stood with confidence, slapping his hand on top of his chair. Even though the future looked bleak he wasn't about to show defeat. Someone had to bring the team back up. Lance would do it too if he had too. Shoving away his own fear and concern for his friend he replaced it with rage and the willingness to wreak havoc.

"By the time we get everything planned out, Zarkon won't know what hit him! We will wreck his shit and take Mullet back!" He gave a fist pump into the air but no one joined him. Pidge, who remained huddled in her seat looked terrified.

"What if they killed him just now?" She asked, tears threatening to fall the she tired to hold back.

"Pidge…" Lance lowered his arm, uncertain what to say. "He isn't dead. He would never die so easily. He's too stubborn, man."

The crew quieted down. Jak took a step forward, "There is a chance we could get him off Central." Gazing up at Kolivan for hope the older Galra just stared straight ahead for a long moment. Looking as grumpy as ever he finally lowered his gaze down to Jak.

"Are you suggesting we put more lives at risk?" He inquired with a hint of irritation.

Jak pressed his lips together, "There is always a constant risk for death among the blades. However, would it not be in our favor to allow those on board to make their own decision if it is worth their life? Or, would you prefer we go with Zarkons idea?"

The moment he spoke he almost wished he had not. Kolivan looked like he was about to slap the living fuck out of him for his sudden cheekiness. Luckily, someone else got that evil look directed at them with a quick quip.

"Don't look like an angry koala, Kolivan. Jak might just have an answer to our problem. What do you mean others?" Lance questioned while promptly ignoring the look of horror his fellow paladin's was giving him.

It seemed Kolivan had forgotten his spark of rage and replaced it with confusion. "What is...a koala?"

* * *

Lances tries to be upbeat in a very bad situation. Poor Shiro is busy having a PTSD moment and well, Kolivian don't be a koala! Listen to your peeps!


	7. Changing Paths, Part 1

"Are you sure about this, Reyner? One wrong move on any of our parts could send you and your people right back into Zarkon's hands." Shiro stated for the second time during the meeting and now a third at the end. He wouldn't admit it to his team but he was nervous as all get out right now. If anyone even turned a single hair in the wrong direction they could lose everything, Olkari and Keith all in one go. Even now as he stood alone in the room with only Reyner he felt like the whole universe was about to cease to exist at any moment.

Gentle eyes focus on the nervous paladin. "Shiro, all will go well. We, no, I put my full trust in your team's abilities. You must have more faith in them and yourself. Keith will be returned and Olkari will remain as it is, free." Peaceful as she may look with this whole idea Shiro had to wonder if she really had that much faith in the events that were soon to be played out. Sighing softly, the paladin rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know. I just have worries and I am sure you can see them justified with everything currently being set into motion."

Again, the Olkarian woman merely smiled at the human that stood before her much like a knowing mother. "Justified as it appears to be it holds you back. Let what may happen, happen. Know that we are well prepared to fight should the need arise. I will be boarding your ship within two quintants. Until then, have Kolivan start his part and we shall do ours. I bid you farewell until then, Shiro."

Just like that Reyner cut communications. A slight knock and the door opened behind Shiro. Jak entered the room. He looked as calm as the ocean on a peaceful day. Moving with purpose and head straight into business unlike the him who was more lost than anything else. His head needed to be in the game.

"I take it Kolivan has sent the message?" Shiro turned towards the young male with arms crossed.

"It has been received without difficulty. There has been a reply as well. One of our operatives has agreed to take the chance. Having just arrived at Central one quintant ago to report on a sector she had been established on for sometime, it might take her a few vargas to locate him. From there, it's up to her to reach the rendezvous point on time. If all goes according to plan we will have Keith before Reyner even starts her part."

Jak paused for a moment as if he wanted to add more to the conversation but stopped himself. Shiro had taken note of this and tilted his head to the side in concern. "Is there more?" He inquired.

Jake blinked a few times and smiled softly at the paladin. "No, nothing of consequence. I just find this arrangement to be a bit interesting."

"Why is that?" He pressed.

"I think you will understand in two quintants. Until then prepare yourself, Shiro. It is...how you do you humans say it? Going to be a bumpy ride."

If anyone asked him to point towards the ceiling he would find it impossible to identify that particular area. Not because he couldn't physically do it or mentally decide on the proper location but mostly to the fact he was too drained. For the past three quintant's he had been constantly 'the source of entertainment' for Zarkon. Haggar had been allowed to test the hybrid as much as she wanted and during that time Haggar's attitude towards him changed slightly. She became less annoyed and more fascinated with him in that time.

Honestly, Keith had no idea why she took this sudden turn but he supposed it had something to do with spots that came and went across his skin like a bad rash. He had seen it before, long ago, but since he knew he was part Galra, he didn't put much thought into it. Haggar on the other hand, must of figured out his genetics weren't quite human. But even then, she never showed love towards that race either and often turned them into robeast. What gave him the special treatment?

It didn't matter.

What did matter was his arm. It was healing far faster then it should and he knew why. The knowledge frightened him more then Haggar. Off and on for the the past three quintants here he had been subjected into what he would like to call a Quintessence Bath. During his time in them his arm was no longer swollen, his fingers bent with ease as did the wrist. However, the elbow and shoulder was a different story. They still screamed in protest if he tired moving them about too much.

Looking down at his hands he took in their current appearance, angry purple patches covered ninety percent of his flesh with no signs of fading thus far. It seemed as if they were determined to stay no matter what he tired to do. Even now as he floated in the golden glow of quintessence he felt like he could fall asleep in its gentle warmth forever. While it might of not been the best idea it did come across his mind as did a gentle pull. Something was tugging at the back of his mind. Trying to swat at it did nothing but cause it to further call to his attention.

It was like a loud buzzing noise that turned into what one could compare to a badly tuned radio. The static got worse and worse. Cupping his ears did nothing to tame the noise. Then suddenly, it stopped on its own with a gentle purr. Confused, the hybrid opened his eyes fully expecting to see the lab. His eyes were greeted by darkness. Twisting around he was stunned to see the floor made from nothing but water. Again, he scanned the empty horizon and saw nothing. All around him was never ending darkness but the tug kept coming with a gentle purr. It was familiar, so familiar that it hurt to even consider the possibility.

"Shiro?" Keith called out gently. He had no reason to suspect it was the elder paladin. But the warmth that draped over him was so familiar, so comforting, so peaceful. A roaring purr echoed through space. A pair of glowing yellow eyes shined brightly in the distance. A spot light with no source came on above the eyes to show a proud black lion sitting there looking distinguished. In a way it reminded Keith of a stage play for below the beast as a man in white and black armor speaking colorfully with another he couldn't place. He knew the dark armor well but the face was hidden behind a mask.

"Shiro?" Keith questioned again. Focusing on the single entity that kept him going. Taking a step forward and then another he felt the urge to run but resisted. Only because the lion moved to stand above the Shiro's figure protectively. "Black?"

Black looked down at the lost paladin. His face unreadable but the feeling radiated none the same. Black was cautious. Debating on if Keith was worth his time and efforts. Was he important enough to consider saving?

"Black, it's me. Keith. I...I don't know why I'm here." His words had no effect on the metallic lion he remained standing over the now frozen form of his pilot. Lowering the massive head it seemed to have sudden zoomed in on Keith. What had been a great distance between them was now nothing more than five inches. The lions red nose brushed against the paladin's hair, sniffing? Could they even smell? It was something Keith never considered.

The figure in the distance reanimated itself, turning fully to save Black and Keith though never approached. "Keith?"

The voice of Shiro echoed in the distance. The former paladin, however, did not answer. He was afraid too. Afraid that answering would give Shiro the undesired effect to come to him. To come looking and boost his morale. He was a goner. He knew it the moment he fell into Zarkons hands. He had no intention in dragging the other into it and so he remained silent as Shiro questioned him. Calling for him. Begging for an answer.

Black tilted his large head to the side. Carefully, the beast nudged him once. The purr had returned at a greater volume. Feel brave, Keith looked up but found only darkness once more. Black no longer stood before him and Shiro was gone. However, a tug pulled at his mind. Letting him know he wasn't alone. It should of been a peaceful feeling of hope but instead it turned into anxiety and pain.

Keith awoke to a purple glow, screaming at the top of his lungs. As much as he tired to hold himself the cramped pod wouldn't allow it. His vision was unable to focus on anything in the lab. However, he could see the old witch standing at the pod, her son looking confused and another woman with a stone cold face staring up at him, as if seeing him for the first time.

"What's happening to him?" The woman asked, her voice gruff and strong. She stood before the pod like a hardened trained soldier who had seen everything but this in her many years of life. If Keith had been able to focus on more than his increasing pain. He might of taken notice of the strange look in her eyes. Her voice had sounded bored and even but her eyes told a different story. Anger was one of them and the other...concern?

"Merely waking up what had been subjected to sleep." Haggar turned away from Keith. She waved at the woman idly. "I've heard your report. Lotor will escort you to our Emperor." When the woman did not move the old witch turned to regard her with questioning eyes.

"Krolia?" The witch called out. Only then did the galra turn on her heels. With a nimble apology she took her leave with Lotor. Leaving Haggar and Keith alone. She muttered something before turning to her druids that where attending to her new subject. Two of the druids stopped their use of magic while allowing the other two to continue on. Haggar merely raised a hand for them to stop for the time being and took note of her handiwork.

Who knew there was a half-galra among the paladins. It seemed her Emperor was correct in his assumptions of the boy being worth something. Well, something other then the traditional Robeast and gladiator. "Take him out and tend to him. I doubt he will give you much trouble."

* * *

Notes:

My apologizes on taking so long to update and this being a tad short.  
My job has become a little crazy on hours due to being short staffed and my second job has become rather busy which is keeping my hands fulls. Alas, the adult life just can't seem to let me go long enough to write. Still, I will do my best to update as often as I can. I really had a lot I wanted to include in this chapter but I decided to separate it into parts that way it doesn't feel rushed or disjointed between my times to write. This chapter is sort of like the set up that will lead into the next chapters. I hope you enjoy it and that it isn't too odd.  
Please enjoy and I will update again as soon as possible!  
Thank you all for your love and continuing support! You are truly the greatest!


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